2-MWJ2604-Section 7.4.1 - Interrogatories-07162026.xlsx

XLSX spreadsheet 43 KB Posted

Attached to
Identity Verification System
Solicitation number
MWJ2604
Issued by
Cook County, Illinois

About this file

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) interrogatories document for the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) seeking an Identity Verification System solution to detect fraudulent student applications. The RFP, numbered MWJ2604, addresses two primary fraud categories: submissions using stolen or synthetic identities to exploit financial aid programs and applicants with no genuine intent to enroll. The solution must provide identity verification, residency document verification, and digital fraud assessment integrated into the student application workflow. Proposals are due August 21, 2026, no later than 12:00 p.m. (CDT). The interrogatories document comprises multiple sections: Requirements (16 business requirements addressing vendor understanding of community college operations, implementation track record, and system configuration), Functional Requirements (18 requirements covering document processing, biometric analysis, risk scoring, and reporting capabilities), Technical Requirements (17 requirements addressing system integration with PeopleSoft and Salesforce, data encryption, compliance, and infrastructure), Information Security Requirements (17 requirements covering access controls, audit trails, data protection, and encryption standards), Technical Interrogatories (detailed questions across application, security, operations, and regulatory categories), and three appendices addressing backup specifications, retention periods, and support service level agreements.

The document does not specify pricing terms, set-asides, incumbent contractor information, or detailed funding sources. Key technical requirements include 24/7 system availability during peak admissions periods, real-time and historical reporting capabilities, WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance, integration with PeopleSoft CS and Salesforce CRM, encryption using TLS 1.2 or higher and AES-256 algorithms, and support for SAML-based SSO authentication compatible with Microsoft Entra ID or ADFS. The vendor must demonstrate scalability to handle CCC's peak single-day application volume, provide annual SOC 2 Type 2 security audit reports, maintain data exclusively within the United States, and establish tiered service level agreements addressing high, medium, and low severity issues. Data ownership remains with CCC; vendor may not use CCC data beyond serving CCC operations. Upon contract termination, all CCC data must be purged within 30 days following download and integrity verification by CCC.

View the file

Other files

On GovTribe

Work with this file

  • Download the original file
  • Contacts named in this file
  • Similar government files
  • Ask GovTribe AI about this file

Text version

Overview

CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO
RFP #MWJ2604 - Identity Verification System
Proposals Due: August 21, 2026, no later than 12:00pm (CDT)
SECTION 7.4.1 - INTERROGATORIES
1. This document contains the following tabs:
Requirements
Technical Interrogatories
Appendices A, B, C
2. Format Alteration
DO NOT alter the layout or format of the spreadsheets in any way. Doing so may result in the loss of your company's data and exclusion from further consideration. You may expand the detailed response cell(s) of the spreadsheets only.

Requirements

CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO
Request For Proposals (RFP) #MWJ2604 - Identity Verification System
Proposals due: August 21, 2026
SECTION 7.4.1 - INTERROGATORIES (REQUIREMENTS)

Proposer's Name

Business Requirements
IDRequirementsPrioritySolution Meets Requirement (Y/N)Please provide details as appropriate
BR-1The Vendor must demonstrate a clear understanding of community college enrollment processes and the open-access mission that defines them. This includes familiarity with the diverse and non-traditional student populations that community colleges serve, the barriers those students may face during the application process, and how those realities should inform the design and configuration of the fraud detection solution. The Vendor must document this understanding in their proposal and explain how it has shaped or will shape their approach to implementing the solution at CCC.
BR-2The Vendor must demonstrate a proven track record of successfully implementing their solution at large, complex higher education institutions. The Vendor must provide verifiable references and supporting data such as implementation timelines, volume of applications processed, and measurable outcomes — from comparable deployments to demonstrate that their solution can perform at the scale and complexity of CCC's environment.
BR-3The Vendor must provide a detailed implementation plan that defines how CCC staff, admissions teams, and applicants will interact with the fraud detection and identity verification system at each stage of the application review process.
BR-4The Solution must automatically screen every incoming application for fraud. This includes checking for signs of stolen or fake identities, unusual application patterns that don't look like genuine enrollment behavior, and inconsistencies in the information provided.
BR-5Based on the risk score, the Solution must be able to automatically send the application for identity verification. CCC must be able to configure the thresholds that drive these decisions, and the Vendor must clearly document how the scoring works.
BR-6The Solution must guide the applicant through a verification process if the application is flagged as suspicious; this includes uploading a government-issued ID and a selfie for biometric comparison.
BR-7The Solution must provide robust fraud indicators capable of accurately distinguishing between fraudulent and legitimate student applications across CCC's full applicant population.
BR-8The Vendor must document all fraud indicators, including the logic and weighting behind each, and must demonstrate that the model reliably differentiates between genuine fraud and the legitimate application behaviors of the populations CCC serves. CCC must retain the ability to review and tune fraud indicator thresholds to reflect its institutional context and student demographics.
BR-9The solution must be fully configurable. CCC is seeking to control the thresholds that drive decisions to auto-approve or flag identity verification. The Vendor must not apply a one-size-fits-all model, as CCC serves populations whose application patterns may differ from conventional norms without indicating fraud.
BR-10The system must automatically check applicants against certain lists (fraud registries, etc.). The Vendor must specify which lists exactly, and these lists should be confirmed with CCC's legal and compliance teams.
BR-11The solution must significantly reduce the manual review workload on CCC admissions staff by automating the interpretation of fraud assessment and verification results, routing only genuinely ambiguous cases to human reviewers.
BR-12The Vendor must demonstrate, with evidence from comparable institutions, that their solution meaningfully reduces manual review workload for admissions staff.
BR-13When an application is flagged for manual review, the system must present the reviewing staff member with all relevant supporting evidence including fraud indicators, verification results, and applicant-submitted documents in a single, consolidated view, so that reviewers can make informed decisions quickly without having to locate or compile information from multiple sources.
BR-14The Vendor must support CCC's readiness for adoption by providing clear and accessible documentation, training materials, and communication resources for all affected staff, including admissions teams, financial aid staff, and any other stakeholders involved in the fraud detection and verification workflow. These resources must be sufficient to ensure that staff understand the system, their role within it, and how to handle the full range of outcomes it may produce.
BR-15The Vendor must demonstrate clear and immediate operational value to CCC's admissions and enrollment teams. This includes showing, early in the implementation process, how the solution reduces manual workload, improves decision consistency, and speeds up application processing, so that staff can see tangible benefits quickly and adoption is not hindered by uncertainty about the system's practical impact on their day-to-day work.
BR-16The Vendor must demonstrate that the solution is scalable and capable of growing to meet CCC's future needs. This includes the ability to handle increased application volumes without degradation in performance, as well as the capacity to extend the solution's verification capabilities beyond the initial scope of student application fraud detection to additional use cases.
BR-17The Solution must be available 24/7, including during peak admissions periods and enrollment windows.
BR-18The Vendor must provide a project manager who supports the full implementation of the chosen solution.
BR-19The Solution should be able to provide real time and historical reports.
Functional Requirements
IDRequirementPrioritySolution Meets Requirement (Y/N)Vendor Details
FR-1The solution must accept uploaded images or scans of US government-issued photo IDs (e.g., driver's license, passport, state ID, Chicago CityKey, etc.).
FR-2The solution must be capable of scanning and authenticating residency documents, submitted as a part of enrollment process including bank statements, utility bills, leases, and government-issued IDs, to determine whether each document is genuine unaltered, and valid.
FR-3The solution must detect fraud through operational signals that go beyond authenticating individual documents. This includes identifying patterns across multiple applications, such as the same address appearing on submissions from different applicants, as well as detecting reused or recycled documents that may be authentic on their own but indicate coordinated fraud when viewed in context.
FR-4The solution must be capable of identifying applicants who use personal data acquired through identity theft, individuals who may pass standard identity and document checks, through behavioral and contextual signals that indicate the applicant is not the true owner of the identity being used.
FR-5The solution must validate document format, expiration date, and authenticity markers.
FR-6The solution must detect tampered, edited, forged, or counterfeit documents.
FR-7The solution must extract and parse key data fields (name, date of birth, document number) from submitted documents.
FR-8The solution must analyze a selfie or short video of the applicant during the verification process. Scope (all applicants vs. flagged only) to be decided by CCC.
FR-9The solution must perform liveness detection to prevent spoofing via printed photos, masks, or digital replays.
FR-10The solution must perform a biometric match between the applicant's selfie and the photo on the submitted ID document.
FR-11The solution must provide a confidence score for each biometric match result.
FR-12The solution must generate a risk score for each verification attempt, based on document, biometric, and behavioral signals.
FR-13The system must automatically approve applications that score below a configurable low-risk threshold.
FR-14The solution must automatically route applications that score above the low-risk threshold but below the high-risk threshold into a remote identity verification workflow, where the applicant will be prompted to upload a government-issued ID and a selfie for biometric comparison or similar process.
FR-15The system must automatically flag applications that score above a configurable high-risk threshold for in person document review at a CCC admissions office.
FR-16CCC reviewers must be able to view, filter, and act on items in the manual review queue.
FR-17The solution must provide a real-time dashboard showing verification metrics and KPIs, with the ability to generate scheduled compliance reports exportable in PDF and CSV formats.
FR-18The solution must maintain a full, tamper-proof audit log of all verification events, including decisions, overrides, and reviewer actions.
Technical Requirements
IDRequirementPrioritySolution Meets Requirement (Y/N)Vendor Details
TR-1The solution must integrate with PeopleSoft CS and Salesforce CRM to enable automated routing and workflow triggers based on verification outcomes.
TR-2The solution shall support reliable batch processing of large volumes of student records with confirmed delivery of results for review.
TR-3The solution must scale to handle CCC's peak single-day application volume. CCC to provide historical peak volume figures to vendor during scoping.
TR-4All PII and biometric data must be encrypted at rest and in transit using industry-standard protocols.
TR-5PII and verification data must be retained and automatically purged per regulatory and CCC requirements. Legal review required before finalizing.
TR-6The solution must capture the external IP address of applicants and apply IP validation, geolocation, and VPN/proxy detection services to flag high-risk connections.
TR-7The solution must comply with CCC's cybersecurity requirements and applicable information security controls and data handling standards.
TR-8The solution must include built-in analytics, dashboards, and reporting tools to support ongoing monitoring, peer benchmarking, threshold calibration, and performance review.
TR-9User-facing UI must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards in accordance with CCC policy.
TR-10The Vendor must confirm whether their solution supports Single Sign-On integration with CCC's existing identity provider. If SSO is supported, the Vendor must document the supported protocols (e.g., SAML, OAuth) and describe the implementation process. If SSO is not natively supported, the Vendor must describe how CCC staff and applicants will authenticate into the system and what controls are in place to manage access securely.
TR-11The Vendor must clearly disclose where the solution is hosted, who is responsible for hosting and infrastructure management, and where applicant data is stored and processed.
TR-12The Vendor must confirm whether data resides within the United States and whether it meets applicable data privacy and security requirements.
TR-13If the implementation involves migrating any existing CCC applicant data into the Vendor's platform, the Vendor must provide a detailed data migration plan that addresses data mapping, validation, security during transfer, and rollback procedures in the event of migration failure.
TR-14The Vendor must define and adhere to a tiered SLA that classifies system issues by severity and specifies response and resolution timeframes for each. At minimum, the SLA must address the high, medium and low severity levels. The Vendor must document escalation contacts, and a post-incident review process for high severity events.
Information Security Requirements
IDRequirementPrioritySolution Meets Requirement (Y/N/NA)Vendor Details
IS-1The solution must provide capability to provision users and restrict access for various tiers by roles and responsibility (authorization) using Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC).
IS-2The solution must be safe-guarded against hacking attacks.
IS-3The solution must be able to record an audit trail of changes made to the application configurations and to CCC data. The minimum criteria for audit logs should be date, time, user performing the change, and changes made.
IS-4CCC will own all data loaded into the system, including log data relating to use of the system. Vendor may not use CCC data in any way other than to serve CCC.
IS-5Advanced written approval from CCC authorized contact must be obtained for any data usage not outlined in the agreement.
IS-6Data must be kept secure and backed up using contemporary redundancy and backup standards.
IS-7Data must not be stored or processed outside of the USA.
IS-8Disaster recovery solutions must be described, and any future technology or provider changes reported to CCC.
IS-9Externally hosted solutions must provide annual SOC 2 type 2 or similar applicable security audit reports, annually and upon request.
IS-10Each time CCC data is moved to a new production environment, any remaining CCC data on vendor’s decommissioned partitions, snapshots and systems must be destroyed and purged no longer than 30 days after the upgrade.
IS-11Upon the termination or expiration of the Agreement, the Company will make all CCC data (content, logs, etc.) available to CCC for download for up to 3 months.
IS-12Upon the termination or expiration of the Agreement, and no longer than 30 days after the data has been downloaded by CCC and its integrity verified by CCC, any remaining CCC data on Company’s systems must be permanently purged and destroyed by the Company.
IS-13Any and every outsourced functionality or service must be identified and reported to CCC, and the third party named by the primary vendor whenever it is engaged or when its engagement ends or changes.
IS-14CCC must be immediately informed (within 72 hours of discovery), in writing, of the scope and nature of any breaches that endanger functionality or expose any PII or other confidential or sensitive information.
IS-15Encryption Requirements:

1) The solution must use contemporary, future-proof encryption for data at rest, in transit, and in use.

2) Supported protocols: TLS 1.2, 1.3 or higher; SSL and earlier TLS versions are prohibited.

3) Encryption Algorithms: AES256 or stronger. Hashing algorithms: SHA256 or stronger.

4) Certificate management: Only certificates from trusted authorities; self-signed certificates or broken chain of trust are not permitted for external-facing solutions.

IS-16External systems sending email from a CCC email address must support DMARC-based message authentication. Both DKIM and SPF should be configured. DKIM must be implemented at a minimum. If DKIM keys are published as TXT records (rather than CNAME), they must be 2048-bit in length.
IS-17Systems must support SAML-based SSO (single sign-on) authentication compatible with EntraID or, less preferred, ADFS

Technical Interrogatories

CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO
Request For Proposals (RFP) #MWJ2604 -Identity Verification System
Proposals due: August 21, 2026
Section 7.4.1 - Interrogatories (Technical)
Proposer's Name
Technical Interrogatories SAAS
Please respond to the questions listed here as appropriate
CategorySub-CategorySAAS (Software-as-a-Service)Yes/No or NAPlease provide details as appropriate
ApplicationReportingList and describe all reports included in the base software package.
Please describe how reports are created and run
Please provide a list of major requested custom reports.
ApplicationData Extract/ImportDo you provide a tool to extract or import information from/to your system?
If so, what formats are supported (pdf, MS-Word/Excel, XML, etc…)
ApplicationAccess to Data ModelDo you provide a data model (diagram) and/or data dictionary for your application?
What options are available for CCC to access your system data? Do you allow backend database or system updates or is it view-only?
Do you provide delivered APIs to access and/or update information?
ApplicationIntegration/InterfaceList integration and/or interfaces delivered with the standard system.
What information do you need CCC to provide to your application (required versus optional)? How frequently? What formats are acceptable?
Describe any delivered integrations available with 3rd parties (e.g., PeopleSoft)?
What forms of secure transmission do you support: sftp? ssl? ftp with pgp? Other?
What integration options are available (real-time services, batch, near real-time, etc…)?
ApplicationConfiguration/Customization/BrandingFor an average client, what is the percentage of customizations versus configuration?
Give an example of a common customization or a situation where a customization is required (i.e., something that cannot be configured as delivered)
What skill sets are required to configure the application (how much training is required and what training/support materials are delivered)?
Who performs the customizations (CCC and/or Vendor)? If CCC is allowed to customize, what is allowable to avoid violating the licensing agreement/warranty?
What programming expertise is required to customize the application?
Describe all the areas that can be “configured” (e.g., setup, transaction processes, security, workflow, online validations, etc…)
ApplicationWorkflow/Approvals/ProxyDoes your application allow configurable workflow?
Does your application allow workflow approvals (multi-levels)?
ApplicationTransaction AuditsWhat types of transaction audits are available with the standard system? What information is not audited?
Is the audit data readily available for access? To whom? Can we audit by campus?
At what point do you purge the audit information?
ApplicationData Integrity/ValidationsExplain in detail how the application maintains data quality and integrity (address online, batch, etc…)
For situations where there is not an “edit” to maintain data quality/integrity, what other safeguards are available as delivered (e.g., reports, periodic batch validation programs, etc…)
ApplicationOperations/SchedulingHow are interfaces, reports, and other batch processes scheduled and the results distributed?
Differentiate between CCC and Vendor responsibilities and access.
ApplicationCommunications (Email, Texting, Chat, Other)Do you have email capabilities (single user, mass email)? Please elaborate
NetworkRedundancy/Failover/Load BalancingExplain what safeguards are in place to minimize the risks of failure (address appropriate tiers)
Explain your load balancing capabilities (address appropriate tiers)
ServersVPNDoes your application encrypt the session between the server and the end user?
Storage/DatabaseDatabase requirementsWhat environments are standard? Can CCC request additional environments as needed for the build-out as well as future needs (e.g., Development, Testing, Production, Training, etc…)? What database platform do you utilize?
How do you determine the initial database size? How do you adjust for actual and planned growth?
How much space is included in the standard offering for each environment?
What is the incremental cost for additional environments and/or space requirements?
Storage/DatabaseData Purge, Retention, Backup, Restore, and RecoveryDiscuss your data archive, purge, and retention strategy as it relates to various tiers.
Discuss your backup, restore, and recovery strategy as it relates to various tiers. Please complete Appendix A and B.
Storage/DatabaseDisaster/Recovery, Business ContinuityDiscuss your disaster/recovery capabilities and architecture.
How often do you test Disaster Recovery with each client?
What is the maximum data loss in the event of catastrophic system failure?
SecurityVarious tiers - Access, RolesExplain how you provision users and restrict access for various tiers by roles and responsibility (authorization)?
Do you have the capability to import user access roles from other systems?
SecurityIdentity and Access Management (IAM) and Directory ServicesPlease share details on the Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Directory Services your solution supports, including:

Authentication protocols (LDAP, Active Directory, SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect) Federation capabilities (ADFS, Microsoft Entra ID/Azure AD) SSO and MFA options Directory sync or provisioning Hybrid environment support (on-premises and cloud) Any limitations or prerequisites for Entra ID integration?

Our environment is transitioning from ADFS-based SSO to Microsoft Entra ID. Please confirm compatibility with both and outline any migration considerations. Is this delivered or does it have to be built?

Discuss examples of single sign-on capabilities to provide seamless user access as they transition between multiple systems and/or applications
SecurityDatabase securityExplain how highly confidential data is maintained and encrypted during storage
SecurityData Center/Physical SecurityProvide an overview of your data center and its operations and controls
Is your data center SAS-70 certified or similar? Discuss how you maintain compliance and insure it quality and reliability.
Discuss physical security to limit unauthorized access to that data center
How often is your data center audited?
When was the most recent 3rd party audit performed and can you provide the results to CCC?
SecurityIntrusion Detection/VirusWhat safeguards are in place to prevent malicious 3rd party attacks and intrusion?
Do you have automated logging for all application activity?
How do ensure that your system is current to prevent all malware?
How does your application prevent threats such as SQL injection?
How often are 3rd party security audits performed? Provide the most recent report(s).
SecurityGeneralWhat security logs does the host provider maintain and which tiers?
Upon request, vendor needs to provide CCC access to security logs
What security standards and methods are utilized (SSL/VPN Tunnel, Antivirus, Encryption, etc…)
The vendor shall provide applicable Service Organization Reports (SOC II type 1 and 2) or complete the CCC Audit Checklist if it does not perform SOC testing
The vendor shall address PCI compliance requirements in a manner that minimizes risk to the College, provide certification of compliance with all current Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards (if applicable)
Ongoing MaintenanceProject/Application DocumentationWhat documentation do you provide for the project implementation and ongoing use?
Ongoing MaintenanceUpgrades, Releases, PatchesWhat is the most current release? When was it first available? When is the next release scheduled? What is currently included in the next release.
Describe the process for customers to provide input into your future releases
Discuss your patch, upgrade, and release strategy and address the following: Frequency, Time to Apply, Roles and Responsibilities, Dependencies, Testing, Contingency/Rollback, etc…
Describe your process for providing release notes (timing, formats, content)?
Discuss how a change (configuration or customization) moves from request, development, testing, and production.
Describe your change control and version control process.
Describe what is included in your maintenance agreement as it relates to application/system bug/fixes.
Ongoing MaintenanceSupport/Call Center - Response, Resolution, Escalations, Hand-off (CCC and Vendor) - SLAsProvide a sample Service Level Agreement document specifying response and resolution times for Production/Non-Production (based on various severities/priorities/tiered support) Please Complete Appendix C
How do you adjust your employee resources for peak times?
Describe your help desk support activities and process. How would you coordinate with CCC’S centralized Service Desk?
Are there penalties if SLAs are not met, describe?
Ongoing MaintenanceWarrantiesWhat do you warranty as part of your standard offering?
Ongoing MaintenanceAvailability: System, Application, Network, Servers, etc…Discuss your guaranteed application and system availability (percentage)
Discuss your planned outages (address all tiers)
How flexible is your maintenance windows and can it be integrated and/or coordinated with CCC?
OtherScalability - Various TiersDescribe how your architecture (system resources) supports peak times and considers various concurrent activities (online, batch, services, reporting, etc…)
OtherMobile Device CapabilitiesDoes your application support mobile devices? Can you provide an example?
OtherStress/Performance assurances/peak timesDiscuss your strategies for performance/stress testing to ensure maximum system efficiency during normal and peak times
How do you ensure adequate network bandwidth?
OtherMonitoring - Trend analysis, DiagnosticsDiscuss what tools and/or applications do you utilize to ensure maximum system availability? What is available for CCC to utilize? When is CCC alerted?
How do you proactively identify potential issues?
OtherAdditional software licensesIs there specific 3rd party software required for your application?

Which software licenses will you provide free to CCC for the duration of the contract agreement term?

OtherClient hardware/software/version requirementsDetail specific client workstation and/or software versions and requirements (e.g., web browsers, desktop memory, display resolution, etc…)
Can you provide an overall architecture Visio document?
Government RegulationsHIPPA, SOX, FERPA, Security, Data RetentionWith which government requirements/mandates do you comply (HIPPA, ADA Section 508, FERPA, etc…)?
Clearly delineate between Vendor and CCC responsibility as it relates compliance with government law, regulations, contracts, etc…
LegalElectronic SignaturesIf applicable discuss how your application utilizes and facilitates electronic signatures. Provide an example.
GeneralValue-addedProvide a listing of all Vendor value-added offerings
LegalOwnership of CCC informationDiscuss what the demarcation between CCC and vendor ownership of information.
LegalExit agreements (tasks/responsibilities)Discuss roles/responsibilities, timeframes, obligations of vendor and CCC if the agreement is terminated.

Appendices A, B, C

CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO
Request For Proposals (RFP) #MWJ2604 - Identity Verification System
Proposals due: August 21, 2026
Section 7.4.1 - Interrogatories (Appendices A, B, C)
Proposer's Name

Appendices A, B, C

Appendix A - Backup
DescriptionPlease provide details (Timing, e.g. Daily, weekly, monthly etc.)
BaselinePre-Production Image
Daily Incremental FilesData changes during the period all tiers all environments
Full Data FilesAll resident data files all tiers all environments
ApplicationsAll application files (full data files including cold backups)
Operating SystemAll O/S configuration files – all tiers all environments
DatabaseAll database – all tiers all environments.
Fall Back CopyAt request of the Board when a change is made to the Board system a copy will be made before the change.
Appendix B - Retention
DescriptionRetention Period
Baseline
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Annual
Key Calendar Dates
Appendix C - Support (SLA)
EnvironmentPriorityResponse TimeMax Resolution TimeRCA - Root Cause Analysis Max Turnaround Time
ProductionHigh
ProductionMedium
ProductionLow
Development/TestHigh
Development/TestMedium
Development/TestLow

File details come from the government source that posted it. Updated .