▌UMN Ed Tech Transparency Project Policies, contracts, and history — with sources.

Do it yourself

How to request UMN's ed tech contracts

UMN doesn't publish its vendor contracts — but as a public institution it is subject to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act ↗ (MGDPA), the state's public records law. Anyone — student, faculty member, journalist, or member of the public — can use it to request the contracts behind Canvas, Honorlock, Google Workspace, and every other system described on this site. This page walks through the process step by step. It is general information, not legal advice.

Your rights in brief: government data are presumed public unless a specific law says otherwise (Minn. Stat. § 13.03 ↗). You do not have to say who you are or why you want the records. Inspecting records is free. Contracts with government entities are generally public ↗, and completed RFP files — including the winning vendor's proposal — become public once contract negotiation ends (§ 13.591 ↗).

Questions about the process?

Answers link to the relevant step below and to the official sources. Press Enter for a full results page.

Step 1 — Decide exactly what to ask for

Narrow requests get answered faster. UMN's own General Counsel FAQ ↗ notes that a request for one vendor's contract for one year is processed much faster than a sweeping multi-year, multi-contract request. For an ed tech contract, name the vendor and product precisely and enumerate the document types you want:

Add a date range ("agreements in effect at any time from January 1, 2020 to the present") rather than asking for "all records about Canvas," which sweeps in thousands of emails and slows everything down. Not sure which office holds what? See who makes ed tech contract decisions — Purchasing Services runs the bids, OIT's security office holds vendor risk assessments, and the General Counsel reviews the contracts.

Step 2 — Draft your request

Pick a vendor and the documents you want, and the request letter below rewrites itself — then copy it and submit. (Without JavaScript, the example below targets Honorlock; adapt the bracketed parts by hand.)

Include: 
To the Data Access and Privacy Office, University of Minnesota:

Pursuant to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minn. Stat.
ch. 13, I request access to and electronic copies (PDF preferred) of
the following public government data:

1. The current executed contract, master services agreement, or
   similar agreement between the University of Minnesota and
   [Honorlock, Inc.], including all amendments, renewals, statements
   of work, order forms, pricing schedules, and any data protection,
   privacy, or security addenda or exhibits, for agreements in effect
   at any time from [January 1, 2024] to the present.

2. The request for proposals (RFP) issued by the University for
   [online exam proctoring services in 2024], the winning vendor's
   proposal, and evaluation or scoring records, which became public
   data upon completion of the evaluation process under Minn. Stat.
   § 13.591, subd. 3(b).

Because I am requesting electronic copies of existing electronic
records, I anticipate minimal or no copy costs; please notify me
before incurring any charges. I note that under Minn. Stat. § 13.03,
subd. 3(c), no fee may be charged for separating public from
not-public data.

If any portion of these records is withheld or redacted, please cite
the specific statutory basis for each redaction as required by Minn.
Stat. § 13.03, subd. 3(f). I note that under Minn. Stat. § 13.37 the
burden of establishing trade-secret status rests on the claiming
party, and that the Minnesota Data Practices Office advises that
government contracts are generally public data.

Please confirm receipt of this request and respond in an appropriate
and prompt manner as required by Minn. Stat. § 13.03, subd. 2.

Thank you.

Step 3 — Submit it through UMN's Data Request Center

UMN handles MGDPA requests through its Data Access and Privacy Office (part of the Office of the General Counsel; its director is the University's designated "responsible authority" under the Act). Requests are submitted through the online portal:

The portal asks for an email address so it can deliver records, but you are not required to explain your purpose. Note that data about your request — including any name and email you provide — are themselves public data.

Step 4 — Know the rules on timing and fees

Step 5 — If records are withheld, redacted, or delayed

  1. Demand the legal basis. Every redaction must cite the specific statute that authorizes it (§ 13.03, subd. 3(f)). Vendors often stamp contracts "proprietary," but a stamp is not law: under § 13.37 ↗ the claiming party must actually establish trade-secret status, and pricing and basic terms generally don't qualify.
  2. Request a free advisory opinion. Anyone who disagrees with an entity's decision can ask the Commissioner of Administration for a data practices advisory opinion ↗ — no fee, decided on the written record. Opinions are non-binding but carry real weight.
  3. File a complaint with the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH data practices complaints ↗): within 2 years, $1,000 filing fee, an administrative law judge can order compliance, and a substantially prevailing complainant gets the fee back (minus $50) plus up to $5,000 in attorney fees (§ 13.085 ↗).
  4. District court (§ 13.08 ↗): a court can compel compliance, impose a civil penalty up to $1,000, and award damages, costs, and attorney fees; willful violations carry exemplary damages of $1,000–$15,000 per violation.

It works — precedents

If you obtain an ed tech contract from UMN, consider sharing it — this site exists to make exactly that information public.

Verified June 2026 against the statutes and pages linked above. Office names, portals, and personnel can change; the linked official pages are authoritative. This page is general information about a legal process, not legal advice for your situation.