2025-2026 MELA Minutes

As of the end of August, $210,000 remains available under the current contract. Dr. Lebrun’s goal is to have the business case submitted to ITS and begin the process in October, especially as ITS has recently updated their procurement procedures. c. CidiLabs – TidyUP : Dr. LeBrun shared an update on efforts to finalize the TidyUp and UDOIT (accessibility) contracts. She mentioned that she had aimed to complete everything by August 1st, but this was delayed. After August 1st, she discovered that a document she had submitted to ITS in May had been rejected, requiring additional documentation and revisions. The TidyUp contract is set to expire at the end of November. Dr. LeBrun explained that she is working on securing a replacement contract by piggybacking off an RFP from Iowa for UDOIT, another accessibility software. When the draft contract was finally approved, an issue arose with CitiLabs, the vendor. The company initially stated that they would refund colleges that had already paid for TidyUp, but later they did not honor this commitment. After negotiations between CidiLabs and ITS, the vendor agreed to issue prorated refunds to the institutions that had already made payments. The goal was to have the new contract in place by mid-September, but CidiLabs does not permit mid-month contract start dates. As a result, the earliest possible start date for the contract is now October 1st. Dr. LeBrun is currently awaiting the latest draft of the contract for her review and approval. The three colleges that have already paid for TidyUp will receive refunds based on the new start date of October 1st. Dr. LeBrun estimated the total cost of the contract to be $29,000. This amount will cover services for October, November, December, and the remaining portion of the quarter, after which the contract will transition to the standard annual cost of $26,000. Dr. Whilite will assist institutions with activating and utilizing the new services once the contract is finalized. d. Turnitin FY27 and FY28 MRA: Dr. LeBrun provided an update on the Turnitin contract. Currently, the institution is under a one-year contract that remains in effect until June 30, 2026. Initially, the intent was to secure a three-year contract, but Turnitin required the signing of a Master Registration Agreement (MRA), which is essentially an extensive contract. Due to delays in reviewing and resolving issues with the MRA,