REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: IT Consultant: Technology Assessment, Compliance Review, and Three-Year Roadmap for Scale

Organization Overview

The News Literacy Project is a growing national nonpartisan education nonprofit leveraging EdTech tools, practices, procedures and requirements to partner with K–12 school districts to deliver digital resources to teach news literacy in the classroom. As the organization expands, we are seeking an experienced IT consultant to assess our current technology environment, evaluate external compliance requirements, and develop a strategic roadmap for the next three years to strengthen our technology systems, security and compliance while planning for growth.

Purpose

The purpose of this engagement is to:

• Conduct an internal review of technology systems, processes, capacity, and risks
• Conduct an external review of K-12 EdTech regulatory and compliance expectations
• Identify gaps, risks, and opportunities
• Provide actionable recommendations for near-term improvements
• Develop a practical three-year technology roadmap including staffing and resourcing guidance

Scope of Work

The selected consultant will evaluate the following workstreams to inform the key deliverables:

A. Internal/Enterprise Technology Assessment

Review of the organization’s current state environment, including:

• Systems, tools, infrastructure, hardware, and cloud services
• IT operations, procurement, and vendor management
• Data management, privacy practices, and access controls
• Security posture, vulnerabilities, and risk exposure
• Organizational IT capacity, staffing, and outsourcing structure

B. External Compliance & Regulatory Review

Assessment of the K-12 EdTech risk and compliance environment, including:

• All applicable U.S. federal and state regulations
• District technology approval and procurement expectations
• Data privacy agreements and vendor onboarding standards
• Emerging district security and risk considerations

Activities may include interviews, system inventory review, policy review, and maturity assessment.

Key Deliverables

The consultant will deliver an evaluation and three-year technology roadmap to ensure NLP’s competitiveness in the K-12 EdTech landscape and its ability to continue to rapidly scale, including:

• Immediate recommendations (0–12 months)
• High-priority security and compliance actions
• Modernization and operational efficiency opportunities
• Sequenced implementation priorities

The three-year roadmap should include:

• Future-state technology vision & maturity targets
• Recommended systems, tools and integrations
• IT governance models that include data and security governance
• Staffing and organizational structure guidance
• In-house versus outsourced service recommendations
• Phased hiring plan and capabilities needed
• Budget ranges and resource implications

The consultant will provide:

1. Internal Technology Assessment Report benchmarked to peers
2. Compliance & Regulatory Landscape Report
3. Risk & Gap Analysis with Prioritization Matrix
4. Immediate Action Recommendations (0–12 months)
5. Three-Year Technology Strategy & Roadmap
6. Staffing & Organizational Structure Recommendations
7. Presentation to Executive Leadership

Deliverables must be provided in written report and presentation formats.

Project Timeline

Estimated project duration: 8 weeks – 12 weeks.

Vendors may propose alternate timelines with justification.

Consultant Qualifications

Required qualifications include:

• Demonstrated experience with K-12 EdTech organizations, nonprofits, and/or K–12 public school districts
• Proven expertise in:
  • IT strategy & operations
  • K-12 data privacy and information security
• Experience developing multi-year technology roadmaps
• Strong facilitation and communication skills

Proposal Submission Requirements

Proposals must include:

• Project approach and methodology
• Work plan and proposed timeline
• Description of compliance & security expertise
• Qualifications and relevant project examples
• Proposed deliverables and communication cadence
• Cost proposal and fee structure
• Two to three client references

Budget & Contracting

Vendors should provide:

• Fixed-fee or not-to-exceed pricing
• Description of assumptions and exclusions

Implementation work is out of scope and may be considered as a separate engagement.

Evaluation & Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Relevant experience and expertise
• Understanding of project goals
• Strength and practicality of methodology
• Demonstrated knowledge of K-12 EdTech compliance landscape
• Quality of deliverables and communication approach
• Timeline and availability
• Cost competitiveness and value

Finalists may be invited for an interview or presentation.

Submit proposals to: Claudia Borgelt, Chief Operating Officer; itrfp@newslit.org

Deadline: Jan. 28, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET