Opportunity Overview
Mississippi State University (MSU), Office of Procurement Services, is soliciting proposals under RFP MSU2026097 for Scholarship and Financial Aid Optimization Consulting Services. MSU seeks a qualified and experienced partner to provide enrollment-management analytics and consulting focused on strategic scholarship and aid leveraging to maximize undergraduate enrollment and net tuition revenue.
Funding / Contract Value
The controlling RFP does not state a maximum contract value or total procurement ceiling. Respondents must provide detailed pricing for the total proposed solution. Prices and rates must be firm for the first year, with defined pricing or discount commitments for subsequent years.
Deadline
September 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM. The controlling RFP and MSU current-bids page publish the deadline date and time but do not label a time zone, so Atlas does not infer one.
Scope
The scope includes assessment of MSU’s current scholarship and financial-aid policies and practices, development of an aid strategy aligned with enrollment and net-tuition goals, design of a multi-year scholarship and financial-aid model, what-if modeling, and ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement. The selected partner must collaborate with MSU stakeholders and bring current enrollment-management practices and relevant institutional experience.
Qualifications and References
The proposal must identify the actual personnel assigned to the engagement and describe each person’s experience providing comparable services to universities of similar size, complexity, and scope. MSU requires three references from current higher-education institutions using the respondent’s services. Evaluation considers corporate structure, proposed personnel experience and references, operations/services, and fees.
Submission Requirements
This is a two-part proposal process. Technical and cost proposals must remain separate. Electronic responses may be submitted through MSU’s approved Bully Buy system, with separate PDF technical and cost proposal files. Physical responses require separate technical and cost packages, including the original and required electronic copy. Email and fax submissions are not accepted. The response must include the RFP signature page signed by an authorized representative. Respondents are responsible for reviewing and acknowledging applicable addenda.
Questions and Updates
The RFP lists Jay Rester at jrester@procurement.msstate.edu for written inquiries and requires the inquiry subject to identify MSU RFP MSU2026097. Vendor questions were due August 31, 2026, with MSU’s Q&A response scheduled for September 8, 2026. Any addenda are posted on the MSU Procurement Services current-bids page under the RFP number.
Contract Term
The RFP states MSU intends a three-year contract estimated to begin January 1, 2027, with options for two additional one-year renewals. The proposal must remain valid for 180 days after the proposal due date.
Atlas Fit Analysis
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. This procurement concerns enrollment-management analytics, scholarship strategy, financial-aid optimization, and institutional consulting. It does not fund or procure telehealth, remote physical examination, clinical diagnostics, RPM, or healthcare technology.
Dr. Miltie / Atlas direct-pursuit fit: 15/100. Atlas has grant-development and consulting capabilities, but the controlling RFP requires directly relevant higher-education enrollment-management experience, personnel with comparable university experience, and three current higher-education institutional references. Available Dr. Miltie records do not establish those mandatory qualifications. No direct proposal is being advanced and no qualifications are being inferred or fabricated.
Atlas Action
Publish as verified Mississippi higher-education procurement intelligence. No applicant outreach, CRM pursuit record, or WorkDrive pursuit folder is warranted on current verified facts. Continue monitoring MSU’s procurement page for addenda, Q&A, amendments, or material scope changes.
Official sources: Mississippi Procurement Details for RFx 3170036544, MSU Procurement Services Current Bids, and RFP MSU2026097. Verified September 17, 2026.