As a former IT director for the Utah State Board of Education, I observed or was a member of selection committees that reviewed bids made in response to requests for proposals. These bids ranged from software used to collect data for state and federal reporting to systems for statewide testing programs. It is not surprising to me that the USBE is having difficulties with yet another vendor.
While there are always risks in writing any RFP and selecting a vendor deemed to have presented the best overall bid, there are certain factors that often result in a poor choice.