Amendment 4.docx

SAP

State of South Carolina

Request for Proposal

Amendment 4

Solicitation:

Date Issued:

Procurement Officer:

Phone:

E-Mail Address:

Mailing Address:

5400017795 06/30/2020

NATHAN DAWSON

(803) 737-9931 ndawson@mmo.sc.gov SFAA, Div. of Procurement Services, ITMO 1201 Main Street, Suite 601 Columbia SC 29201

DESCRIPTION: Virtual Assistance Software Solution

USING GOVERNMENTAL UNIT: SC Department of Motor Vehicles

SUBMIT YOUR OFFER ON-LINE AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.procurement.sc.gov

SUBMIT OFFER BY (Opening Date/Time): 07/16/2020 11:00 am (See "Deadline For Submission Of Offer" provision)

QUESTIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY: 05/07/2020 5:00 pm email questions to ndawson@mmo.sc.gov (See "Questions From Offerors" provision)

NUMBER OF COPIES TO BE SUBMITTED: One (1) on-line submission and One (1) Redacted Copy submitted online, (See “Submitting Redacted Offers” provision Section IV, “Submitting Confidential Information” Section II.A., & “Electronic Copies-Required Media and Format” provision Section II. B.)

Initial here if NO redacted copy is necessary___________

CONFERENCE TYPE: Pre-Proposal Conference DATE & TIME: 05/07/2020 10:00 am

(As appropriate, see "Conferences - Pre-Bid/Proposal" & "Site Visit" provisions) LOCATION: Teleconference

(email ndawson@mmo.sc.gov before 12:00 noon on 05/06/2020 for call-in instructions)

(See Section IIB “Conference – Pre-Bid/Proposal” clause)

You must submit a signed copy of this form with Your Offer. By signing, You agree to be bound by the terms of the Solicitation. You agree to hold Your Offer open for a minimum of ninety (90) calendar days after the Opening Date. (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

NAME OF OFFEROR

(full legal name of business submitting the offer) Any award issued will be issued to, and the contract will be formed with, the entity identified as the Offeror. The entity named as the offeror must be a single and distinct legal entity. Do not use the name of a branch office or a division of a larger entity if the branch or division is not a separate legal entity, i.e., a separate corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.

AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE

(Person must be authorized to submit binding offer to contract on behalf of Offeror.)

DATE SIGNED

TITLE

(business title of person signing above)

STATE VENDOR NO.

(Register to Obtain S.C. Vendor No. at www.procurement.sc.gov)

PRINTED NAME

(printed name of person signing above)

STATE OF INCORPORATION

(If you are a corporation, identify the state of incorporation.)

OFFEROR'S TYPE OF ENTITY: (Check one) (See "Signing Your Offer" provision.)

___ Sole Proprietorship ___ Partnership ___ Other_____________________________

___ Corporate entity (not tax-exempt) ___ Corporation (tax-exempt) ___ Government entity (federal, state, or local)

COVER PAGE - ON-LINE ONLY (MAR. 2015)

SAP

SAP7

PAGE TWO

(Return Page Two with Your Offer) HOME OFFICE ADDRESS (Address for offeror's home office / principal place of business)

NOTICE ADDRESS (Address to which all procurement and contract related notices should be sent.) (See "Notice" clause)

_________________________________________________ Area Code - Number - Extension Facsimile

E-mail Address

PAYMENT ADDRESS (Address to which payments will be sent.) (See "Payment" clause)

____Payment Address same as Home Office Address ____Payment Address same as Notice Address (check only one) ORDER ADDRESS (Address to which purchase orders will be sent) (See "Purchase Orders and "Contract Documents" clauses)

____Order Address same as Home Office Address ____Order Address same as Notice Address (check only one)

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF AMENDMENTS

Offerors acknowledges receipt of amendments by indicating amendment number and its date of issue. (See "Amendments to Solicitation" Provision)

DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

(See "Discount for Prompt Payment" clause)

PREFERENCES - A NOTICE TO VENDORS (SEP. 2009):

**PREFERENCES DO NOT APPLY TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PER

SOUTH CAROLINA PROCUREMENT CODE SECTION [§11-35-1524(E)(5)(b)]**

PREFERENCES - ADDRESS AND PHONE OF IN-STATE OFFICE:

**PREFERENCES DO NOT APPLY TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PER

SOUTH CAROLINA PROCUREMENT CODE SECTION [§11-35-1524(E)(5)(b)]**

PAGE TWO (SEP 2009)

End of PAGE TWO

AMENDMENT #4

Solicitation #5400017795

AMENDMENTS TO SOLICITATION (JAN 2004)

(a) The Solicitation may be amended at any time prior to opening. All actual and prospective Offerors should monitor the following web site for the issuance of Amendments: www.procurement.sc.gov (b) Offerors shall acknowledge receipt of any amendment to this solicitation (1) by signing and returning the amendment, (2) by identifying the amendment number and date in the space provided for this purpose on Page Two, (3) by letter, or (4) by submitting a bid that indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment. (c) If this solicitation is amended, then all terms and conditions which are not modified remain unchanged. [02-2A005-1]

QUESTIONS FROM OFFERORS - AMENDMENT (JUN 2017)

THE SOLICITATION IS AMENDED AS PROVIDED HEREIN. INFORMATION OR CHANGES RESULTING FROM QUESTIONS WILL BE SHOWN IN A QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT. ALL QUESTIONS RECEIVED HAVE BEEN REPRINTED BELOW. THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” SHOULD BE READ WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE QUESTIONS. THE QUESTIONS ARE INCLUDED SOLELY TO PROVIDE A CROSS-REFERENCE TO THE POTENTIAL OFFEROR THAT SUBMITTED THE QUESTION. QUESTIONS DO NOT FORM A PART OF THE CONTRACT; THE “STATE’S RESPONSE” DOES. ANY RESTATEMENT OF PART OR ALL OF AN EXISTING PROVISION OF THE SOLICITATION IN AN ANSWER DOES NOT MODIFY THE ORIGINAL PROVISION EXCEPT AS FOLLOWS: UNDERLINED TEXT IS ADDED TO THE ORIGINAL PROVISON. STRICKEN TEXT IS DELETED. [02-2A097-1]

The following questions were received pursuant to the original date and time specified on the front of the solicitation:

1. Question: Is the solution provider required to have all work performed in the United States? Or is it sufficient that the solution provider is a legal entity in the US? I.e. Legal Entity and Sales in US, and development team in Canada?

State’s Response: Please refer to Section VII. Terms And Conditions – B. Special, Offshore Contracting Prohibited (FEB 2015) of the solicitation.

2. Question: Depending on answer to question 1, can the helpdesk reside in Canada?

State’s Response: See response to Question #1.

3. Question: Is it sufficient that a proposer has a support center in North America, with toll-free 24/7 access from the United States?

State’s Response: See response to Question #1.

4. Question: Can the project be divided into two phases: 1st phase (fixed price) being the licensing, configuration and deployment of the tools necessary to support Virtual Customer Assistants (VCA) and Virtual Employee Assistants (VEA); and the 2nd phase (time and material) being made up of iterative agile sprints to build out, test and deploy the targeted use cases in the priority defined by SCDMV?

State’s Response: Yes.

5. Question: What are the integration methods available for Phoenix II and Sitecore? Are these applications prem-based or cloud-based?

State’s Response: Sitecore uses APIs and Phoenix II uses web services for application integration. On-prem.

6. Question: Who is SCDMV's Security-as-a-Service provider? What products and services are currently provided?

State’s Response: SCDMV does not have a Security-as-a-Service provider. Microsoft ADFS is leveraged to manage the security of SCDMV’s cloud-based properties.

7. Question: Is SCDMV looking for a fully managed solution? Or simply for deployment of a solution with support/enhancement/consultation as required, following go-live?

State’s Response: SCDMV is looking for the Offeror to design, implement, and provide professional services for a custom VCA/VEA solution that meets all the requirements listed in the RFP. However, SCDMV expects the solution to meet the specifications listed in Section III. F. 2. of the RFP (pages 22-23).

8. Question: What are SCDMV's current call (/email/chat/SMS) statistics (including AHT, ATT, AWT), over the last 12 months? What is the busy hour volume for each type of contact? What is the average service time for each time of contact? Does SCDMV know if blockage occurs on their inbound contact center lines?

State’s Response: SCDMV’s Contact Center has a daily call volume of 13,782 and an AHT of 3 minutes 53 seconds. SCDMV does not track email statistics and does not currently have chat or SMS capability. The busy hour volume for calls to the Contact Center is 1,621. The average call service time for the Contact Center is 3 minutes 53 seconds. SCDMV transitioned from Finesse to BroadSoft at the end of February 2020. Blockage may occur due to configuration issues and/or due to staffing limitations as a result of COVID-19.

9. Question: How does SCDMV manage each type of non-voice contact today?

State’s Response: The only non-voice contact SCDMV manages is email. Agents manually respond to emails.

10. Question: Does SCDMV use skills-based call center routing today? What skills are in use for SCDMV agents today?

State’s Response: Yes. In addition to the Contact Center, there are 13 specialized help desks (HD) responsible for assisting customers and employees (Driver HD, Vehicle HD, Financial Responsibility HD, General HD, Appointments HD, Commercial Driver License HD, Motor Carrier Services HD, Dealer Licensing HD, Data Quality Vehicle HD, Data Quality Driver HD, IT Help Desk, Fraud Unit HD, and Title & Registration HD).

11. Question: What are the reasons citizens contact SCDMV, in order of most to least common?

State’s Response: 1) Driver suspensions/fees 2) Vehicle titling 3) Registration renewals 4) Plates 5) Decals 6) Financial responsibility (cancellation of insurance/failure to pay traffic tickets)

12. Question: How does SCDMV measure first contact resolution (FCR)?

State’s Response: SCDMV does not currently measure first contact resolution. However, approximately 94% of the questions received by Contact Center agents are general. Approximately 6% of customers request information from agents that we are unable to answer. For example, SCDMV cannot provide mail tracking status updates.

13. Question: Please provide an outline of how CSRs are trained. Of CSRs that begin training, how many finish? What is the cost of training a CSR? What is the average tenure and net compensation of a CSR?

State’s Response: CSR’s are trained in phases, they attend 4 day Express New Employee Training, return for 7 day New Employee Training, and lastly work with a Customer Service Trainer in a branch office for 7 to 10 days, then they are tested on transactions and must pass with 80%. Of CSR’s that begin training, 98% finish. CSR Training cost from start to completion is $8,293.49. Average tenure of a CSR is 5.16 years. No net compensation available, however average annual compensation is $25,708.38.

14. Question: Do the SCDMV agents have fixed scripts that they must follow when dealing with specific call types? If so, how many are there and does SCDMV manage adherence to scripts? Or are calls fully unscripted?

State’s Response: All calls are unscripted; however, training material is provided to agents.

15. Question: Why does the IT Help Desk handle internal calls from agents to correct mistakes? Can the SCDMV provide examples?

State’s Response: The IT Help Desk provides Tier 1 support to SCDMV agents that have made an error on a customer record or have encountered technical issues. The IT Help Desk will escalate record errors or advanced technical issues to the appropriate Tier 2 support team for resolution. For example, if an agent makes an error in a customer's record while processing a request that neither the agent or their manager is able to undo, the agent will contact the IT Help Desk. The IT Help Desk will create a trouble ticket and assign it to the Database team for resolution.

16. Question: Even though Sitecore is both a content management platform and digital experience platform, agents must perform ad hoc searches across the internet to help customers. How would SCDMV describe the reasons why this is?

State’s Response: SCDMV’s agents may conduct Internet-based searches when assisting customers by searching the public website (SCDMVonline.com) to find external forms or to schedule appointments. They may also navigate to SCDMV’s policy and training cloud-based content platform, PowerDMS, to research internal documentation (i.e. forms, procedures, policies, and processes).

17. Question: Is there a roadmap available that describes how Sitecore and its use will evolve within SCDMV?

State’s Response: The roadmap is that SCDMV will continue to use Sitecore as the website’s content management system.

18. Question: Does SCDMV prefer whether VCA or VEA is deployed first? Why?

State’s Response: The VCA is to be deployed first in order to achieve the goal of reducing Contact Center agent interactions by at least 20% within the first year of implementation.

19. Question: How many Contact Center agents will be supporting this initiative?

State’s Response: The virtual assistant solution will be supported, in the long term, by up to 175 SCDMV contact center agents. However, the initial pilot will include 10 agents.

20. Question: RFP Context: Scope of Work A. Goal #1 Objective #1: 'Reduce Contact Center agent interactions by at least 20% within the first year of implementation'. What is the current volume, what is the number of "call deflections" that would meet the 20% requirement?

State’s Response: The current daily call volume is 13,782. Therefore, the 20% call deflections requirement is 2,756.

21. Question: RFP Context: "Current Environment". Under current challenges, things like Knowledge Base, Customer Interaction Analytics, and Internal resources are identified. If our proposal includes solutions for all of these challenges can we ensure that we are not negatively impacted since there will be a direct impact on pricing? We want to ensure the pricing we propose takes into account the holistic solution we will be recommending based on your current environment and other factors, such as industry best practices and our experience helping solve other customer’s business challenges.

State’s Response: Offerors are encouraged to provide pricing for the requirements listed within the scope of work.

22. Question: RFP Context: "Primary Application" Integration requirements. What interface options does Phoenix II provide, is there a possible e-mail integration option, or are there a set of APIs that can be leveraged to integrate our platform with Phoenix II? If not we must take that into account. Also what type of data and information is in Phoenix II?

State’s Response: The Knowledge Base will be the only data store that the VCA and VEA will retrieve data from. The VCA will not interface with Phoenix. A link or widget will need to be available in Phoenix for the VEA so employees can enter queries to the Knowledge Base while assisting customers.

23. Question: Are there other systems that must be integrated with the VCA/VEA solution? Customer databases, payment processing systems? Is there a centralized identity management system being leveraged?

State’s Response: A knowledge base repository. While we can leverage Sitecore as a knowledge base repository, we are open to vendor recommendations on other products/applications that integrate with the proposed VCA/VEA solution. Microsoft ADFS.

24. Question: Is there a Contact Center system of record (Case Management application) that is leveraged, and should we be able to interface/integrate with it to send chat information to that system, or is the expectation that the case management work can be done in the VCA/VEA solution?

State’s Response: SCDMV will provide an API for integration with customer history tickets with Phoenix.

25. Question: RFP Context: "Features out of Scope" & "Design Requirements". The features out of scope states that "Speech-based NLP Engagements" is not in scope, then the Design requirements states "Customizable Specificity": SCDMV must have the ability to manually configure natural language processing (NLP) synonyms, terms, and phrases. Is this in scope or out, and if so can we have more detail around what is currently expected functionality on day 1 of Go-Live?

State’s Response: Speech-based interactions (i.e. requests initiated by customers via Siri or Alexa) are out of scope. However, the solution should allow for SCDMV to customize synonyms, terms, and phrases as needed.

26. Question: RFP Context: "Application Security" - API: The VCA/VEA solution must have a built-in API to support integration with the third-party Security-as-a-Service provider that manages SCDMV’s cloud properties. What is the context around managing cloud properties? Is SCDMV looking to manage the VCA/VEA infrastructure leveraging this Cloud management API?

State’s Response: SCDMV does not have a Security-as-a-Service provider. Microsoft ADFS is leveraged to manage the security of SCDMV’s cloud-based properties. Not at this time.

27. Question: Are there external systems (technical infrastructure) that must be monitored to provide end customers with the status of that services availability? If so can you provide use cases and examples?

State’s Response: Yes, SCDMV monitors all systems and notifies the public for unplanned outages and scheduled outages for maintenance.

28. Question: It looks like the focus is on a VCA/VEA solution, we're proposing a platform with Knowledge & Case Management. Is Case out of scope?

State’s Response: Yes.

29. Question: RFP Context: Section F – Design Requirements

a. Are full functions/processing components for each user level to be developed in the mobile function?

b. How many languages are expected for multi-lingual support?

c. Will knowledge articles need to be multi-lingual?

d. Will SMS be outbound only?

e. Survey completion via chat is usually done via a link to a survey, is it expected to be completed in the an SMS message?

State’s Response:

a. The VCA functionality should be the same for customers who access the website via desktop or mobile device. Internal users (employees) will only access the VEA via desktop.

b. English and Spanish.

c. Yes.

d. Yes.

e. A survey link can be provided via SMS message.

30. Question: RFP Context: Section F – Security Requirements

a. Will the solution be integrated into any Single-sign-on solutions?

b. Will the solution be integrated into any A/D or LDAP solutions?

c. Will encryption-at-rest (field level or table level) be needed for any data?

State’s Response:

a. Yes, Microsoft ADFS.

b. Yes, Microsoft ADFS.

c. Yes, PII.

31. Question: Do respondents need to reference their vendor number within the response anywhere on SCEIS? Or is it simply compliant by having an updated registration number in your system?

State’s Response: Inputting your current State Vendor Number is a requirement of completing the Cover Pages of the solicitation, which must be included with your submittal. Please see Section IV. Information For Offerors To Submit, Information For Offerors To Submit – General (MAR 2015) of the solicitation.

32. Question: Are there readily available APIs and/or developers for Sitecore XP 8.2, Phoenix II, and Cisco Finesse?

State’s Response: SCDMV’s vendors and developers for Sitecore 9.3, Phoenix II, and BroadSoft will be available to support the VCA/VEA solution integration efforts.

33. Question: Can you please estimate the volume of interactions for the VCA/VEA monthly/daily at peak?

State’s Response: See response to Question #8.

34. Question: Is it your plan to achieve the 20% automation goal to provide the VCA/VEA ALWAYs as a first point of interaction, in other words before escalating to an agent via telephony or live chat the Bot will have to be used first ( or by use cases )?

State’s Response: The virtual assistant will always be the first point of contact.

35. Question: Can you please clarify the interaction channels your agents are using for Live Chat currently or planned?

State’s Response: SCDMV is not currently using live chat.

36. Question: In light of COVID-19 is your project timeline still accurate or do you foresee delays?

State’s Response: Yes the project timeline is still accurate.

37. Question: How many total internal users and trainers are to be trained?

State’s Response: SCDMV’s Training & Change Management team has seven employees and the Customer Service Trainer team has seven employees that need training for a total of 14.

38. Question: Please provide details on the Multi-channel deployment requirements outlined in the Solicitation Document, section F Design Requirements, General, (F.1. g) General, Multi-channel deployment.

State’s Response: The VCA must contain a Chatbot which has the ability to Email or SMS a customer or switch to a Live Chat with an agent.

39. Question: Can you please provide clarity around the requirement listed in Attachment B, Functional Requirements, Customer Interface section, Multimodal Capturing and Rendering- Does your solution allow for simultaneous engagements? Please elaborate on it. We understand multimodal capturing and Rendering, but not sure what you are asking.

State’s Response: SCDMV would like to know if the proposed chatbot solution can carry out simultaneous exchanges and respond with speed, all while engaging with users and interpreting their intent.

40. Question: Will you be providing network access for training for VCA/VEA or facilities?

State’s Response: Yes.

41. Question: Please share the historic monthly volume for last 6 months for each channel, which is in scope for us.

State’s Response: SCDMV’s monthly call average is 303,202. SCDMV does not track email statistics and does not currently have chat or SMS capability.

42. Question: What are the types of queries handled currently through each channel? Please provide use case for each query type.

State’s Response: SCDMV only responds to customers via phone or email (manually). See response to Question #11.

43. Question: Page 53 of the Solicitation document refers to an “overall cap on Contractor’s liability” (Service Level Credits). Please advise on the dollar value of the overall cap. For example, 1.5 times the total contract value?

State’s Response: There is no cap on the Contractor’s liability, whatever damages the State sustains will be the responsibility of the Contractor.

44. Question: Can you provide the segmentation of data that will be located in each data store? (Knowledge Base, Phoenix II, etc.) Do you have a listing of the initial queries that are to be addressed by the Virtual Assistants and where the data to provide answers is housed? Will DMV provide Offeror with API documentation how data to be retrieved from Phoenix II back-end system? Who is responsible for creating the code to access the needed data in each data storage area (Knowledge Base, Phoenix II, Call Center)?

State’s Response: The Knowledge Base will be the only data store that the VCA and VEA will retrieve data from. Yes. Data will be retrieved from the Knowledge Base not Phoenix. The VCA will not interface with Phoenix. A link or widget will need to be available in Phoenix for the VEA so employees can enter queries to the Knowledge Base while assisting customers. The Offeror is responsible for creating the code, if needed, for accessing data in the Knowledge Base.

45. Question: What is the expected average volume of queries per day/month for both VCA and VEA? (# of transactions.) You state in the RFP that an objective is to lower the contact center agent interactions by 20% in the first year. How many interactions does this represent?

a. Is there a breakdown in the complexity of these interactions?

State’s Response: See response to Question #20. No.

46. Question: Are there any restrictions on using cloud services to run the virtual agents?

a. Are Government-based certifications required (FedRamp, CJIS, etc.) as these requirements may limit available functionality, or may commercial tenants be used?

b. Are we to provide cost level for cloud services as ongoing costs? If so, who is the Agency’s provider and can we work with them to derive estimated DMV costs?

State’s Response:

a. No; however, PII data must be anonymized if stored in the cloud.

b. SCDMV expects this to be a cloud-based service with the Contractor providing the cloud services. SCDMV does not currently have a cloud service provider.

47. Question: What version Cisco Finesse is deployed at DMV?

State’s Response: BroadSoft 20SP1 (Service Pack)

48. Question: What are the expectations for Virtual Assistant <–> Cisco Finesse interface? Our understanding is that VA should be able to pass the chat bot interaction to the Call Center. Anything else?

State’s Response: No.

49. Question: The RFP states that the integration points will be the Knowledge Base, Phoenix II and Cisco Call Center, are these all of the integration points or data stores to be called upon by the VCA and VEA? For the DMV Employee information, are there additional storage points?

State’s Response: The Knowledge Base will be the only data store from which the VCA and VEA will retrieve data.

50. Question: How does DMV foresee employees accessing the VEA? Will it be a link on your existing intranet, a standalone application (windows desktop), or some other vehicle?

State’s Response: Via a link or widget from within Phoenix.

51. Question: What is the expected solution (one of these or a combination of these)- Chatbot, Telephony bot, Email & SMS bot?

State’s Response: VCA: Chatbot, Email, Live Chat, and SMS (outbound only) | VEA: Chatbot.

52. Question: Is the deployment of a virtual assistant across platforms (Live Chat, SMS, Email, mobile application, website) is in one - go OR a phase-wise approach?

State’s Response: The VCA’s first iteration should include Chatbot, Email, Live Chat, and SMS (outbound only). After the VCA is successfully launched, then the VEA should be deployed via Chatbot.

53. Question: From scope perspective is there a predefined list of/number of Intents or Topics for which we need to implement for the VCA and/or the VEA? Also, is there a classification for FAQ vs Transactional intents?

State’s Response: Yes, each of the 14 contact centers have a list of the most asked questions they receive. There is not a hard-coded classification scheme for FAQ vs. transactional intents; however, SCDMV’s contact centers do support both information- and transaction-based engagements.

54. Question: Can you please share the details around the current Live Chat platform and Current CMS you are using? Who is the Telephony Service provider? What are the versions and specifications of the Telephony components being used?

State’s Response: SCDMV does not currently have a Live Chat platform. The Telephony services are being provided using BroadSoft 20SP1 (Service Pack).

55. Question: Are there relevant APIs, access points available for integration with Sitecore, SCDMV’s Web Content Management System; Cisco Finesse, SCDMV’s Contact Center Agent and Supervisor Desktop; and SCDMV’s website search engine service and Phoenix II?

State’s Response: Yes.

56. Question: Can you share historical chat logs/ call logs?

State’s Response: No.

57. Question: What is the Average and Peak call Volume (number of calls)? What is the Average Hold Time (AHT)? What is the Average Handling Time?

State’s Response: See response to Question #8.

58. Question: Is there any existing chat widget SCDMV has with which we are supposed to integrate our solution, or do you want us to create and integrate the chat widget on the existing website?

State’s Response: No. SCDMV is looking for the Contractor to design, implement, and provide professional services for a custom VCA/VEA solution that meets all the requirements listed in the RFP.

59. Question: Are the responses based on some business rules [Can a question have multiple responses based on certain conditions]? If yes, how many levels of workflow exist?

State’s Response: SCDMV does not currently have a workflow solution to manage customer requests. The solution should allow for responses based on business rules and multiple workflow levels.

60. Question: How many calls/chat sessions do customer service reps attend in a day on average? Also, how many agent seats are anticipated for live chat?

State’s Response: Up to 175 for all SCDMV contact centers. Currently, approximately 60 agents work concurrently, the remaining agents process requests intermittently throughout the day.

61. Question: What percentage of conversations are:

a. FAQs (static responses)

b. Back and forth (static responses)

c. Responses from databases

State’s Response: SCDMV does not have the requested information because we only respond to customers via phone or email (manually).

62. Question: Can you provide an architecture diagram/overview of the current set-up ( including key integration points - websites, databases)?

State’s Response: None of the current systems that will be used for the virtual assistant solution are connected.

63. Question: What is the scale of the solution to be implemented? I.e.:

a. Count of annual queries per topic

b. Average length of the conversation

c. Number of concurrent conversations

State’s Response:

a. SCDMV does not currently track this metric.

b. See response to Question #8.

c. Approximately 60.

64. Question: Should the VCA handle user sentiments and respond accordingly?

State’s Response: Yes.

65. Question: RFP Context: Attachment D – Demonstration Script - Demonstrate VCA interface to other websites – SC Election Commission from a query (how do I register to vote?). How many such websites are there?

State’s Response: The virtual assistant should have the functionality that allows for users to click active URLs to 3rd-party websites as sourced from the Knowledge Base.

66. Question: For the following expected integrations, are there relevant APIs / access points available for integration?

a. Complex Customer Care Interactions within VCA Interface (i.e. payment processing, account management, or online transactions)

b. Complex Employee-related Interactions within VEA Interface (i.e. requests for leave, HR benefit information, or IT support)

c. Self-service Kiosk Integration

State’s Response: The application features in the question are out of scope for the initial VCA/VEA solution implementation per Section III. B. of the RFP (pages 18-19).

67. Question: Is Phoenix II a homegrown solution? If so, does it have existing APIs for integration?

State’s Response: Yes, Phoenix II is a proprietary solution that uses web services for application integration.

68. Question: Is the SCDMV search engine service a homegrown solution? If so, does it have existing APIs for integration?

State’s Response: No, SCDMV’s search engine service, Cludo, is a cloud-based solution.

69. Question: On-site information gathering affected by COVID-19?

State’s Response: SCDMV will leverage Microsoft Teams for virtual meetings, as needed.

70. Question: Windows Phone has only 0.15% of market share of all mobile devices. Is it necessary to support these devices?

State’s Response: No.

71. Question: RFP Context: Workflow Automation Customization (Design Requirements 2 (g)):

a. What types of workflows need to be built / customized by SCDMV?

b. What level of customization is required?

State’s Response:

a. SCDMV would like Contact Center agents to have the ability to re-route customer interactions (voice, email, and live chat) to the appropriate agency help desk for resolution. While we would prefer for all routing to be handled within BroadSoft, we would like the virtual assistant solution to offer the workflow automation in the event there are issues with the BroadSoft implementation.

b. SCDMV will provide a listing of help desk units that should be included as routing options within the workflow solution. We should have the ability to re-route (customize) workflows in real-time based upon staffing or other business requirements.

72. Question: Can you please share your historical + projected inbound call volume?

State’s Response: See response to Question #8.

73. Question: What are the top 5-10 call reasons/intents?

State’s Response: See response to Question #11.

74. Question: What is your current, estimated Cost Per Contact?

State’s Response: Monthly Salaries + Operating Expenses divided by the Monthly Average Handled = Cost per Call $1.81

75. Question: What is the Average Handle time for contacts?

State’s Response: See response to Question #8.

76. Question: Will we need to plan for multiple training classes for each of the 3 groups listed in the training section?

State’s Response: Yes.

77. Question: How will training for new hires be handled?

State’s Response: During new employee express training.

78. Question: In section F.5.e, it states that the solution must be compatible with software and data transmission process as outlined in this document. Will the tech stack be used for the entire duration of the contract? How will changes to these technologies be addressed to remain compliant?

State’s Response: Technology evolves at a rapid pace, therefore, SCDMV cannot guarantee that the current tech stack will be the same for the duration of the contract. SCDMV will provide advance notice of changes to the tech stack. The Contractor is expected to maintain industry standards while adapting to emerging technologies.

79. Question: Section G.1.a – Is a FedRAMP authorized solution required to meet your security requirements?

State’s Response: No; however, PII data must be anonymized if stored in the cloud.

80. Question: In section G.3.a, it states that the contractor must provide annual security awareness training. Does this need to be facilitated onsite, or can this be offered online or virtually?

State’s Response: The Contractor is not expected to provide security awareness training to the SCDMV team. If the Contractor employs subcontractors to execute work for SCDMV, the Contractor must provide them with annual security awareness training. The training delivery method is at the Contractor’s discretion.

81. Question: In section G.3.c, a security background check must be completed. Can you provide more information around what type of background check needs to be completed?

State’s Response: All personnel requiring access to SCDMV equipment, SCDMV networks, or data must undergo background checks of their financial and criminal records over the past seven years.

82. Question: Page 53, Service Level Credits – Can you provide the SLA’s and KPI’s tied to the Service Level Credits?

State’s Response: The starting point for the SLA will be in the Offeror’s proposal and the final SLA agreement will be negotiated prior to award if the State decides to do so. Due to this, no SLA or KPI exists at this point in the process.

83. Question: Does SCDMV have a preferred cloud vendor? (Azure, AWS, GCP, Other)?

State’s Response: No; however, SCDMV is a Microsoft shop and is leveraging Azure through ADFS and O365 implementations.

84. Question: RFP Context: Background, page 18 of solicitation - "..by providing users with an automated, multi-channel.." - Which channels would need to be supported? (Web, SMS, Facebook, Other)?

State’s Response: Chatbot, Email, Live Chat, and SMS (outbound only).

85. Question: What channels would be expected for the first MVP of the VCA?

State’s Response: Chatbot, Email, Live Chat, and SMS.

86. Question: What channels are expected to be given for the VCE?

State’s Response: Chatbot.

87. Question: What is the current call volume for the SCDMV?

State’s Response: See response to Question #8.

88. Question: Does SCDMV have a current list of most asked questions that comes to the call center?

State’s Response: Yes, each of the 14 contact centers/help desks have a list of the most asked questions they receive.

89. Question: Which version of Sitecore is being used?

State’s Response: Version 9.3

90. Question: Is Sitecore currently hosted on any cloud?

State’s Response: On prem.

91. Question: Please elaborate more about Phoenix II - Is this a proprietary system? We see that it is .NET based, could you elaborate more on this and possibly provide screenshots?

State’s Response: Yes. Phoenix is SCDMV’s line of business application used by agents to process transactions and inquiries on customer records.

92. Question: What version of Cisco Finesse is being used?

State’s Response: BroadSoft 20SP1 (Service Pack)

93. Question: Where is Cisco Finesse being hosted currently?

State’s Response: BroadSoft 20SP1 (Service Pack)

94. Question: Does SCDMV use live chat on its website currently? If yes, can you please share the link for the same?

State’s Response: No, SCDMV does not use live chat currently.

95. Question: RFP Context: Scope of Work A 1 b) – Objective #2 – “Offer enhanced customer service by redirecting customers appropriately according to customer preference”. Could you elaborate a bit more on this?

State’s Response: SCDMV would like to give customers the option of choosing which channel (Chatbot, Email, and Live Chat) to use when requesting information.

96. Question: How many FAQs does SCDMV expect to be put in the chatbot for the first MVP?

State’s Response: Enough to support the top five most asked questions received by each contact center within the agency.

97. Question: Are there any restrictions for onsite, offsite and offshore work for development and support needs?

State’s Response: Please refer to Section VII. Terms And Conditions – B. Special, Offshore Contracting Prohibited (FEB 2015) of the solicitation. For the onsite versus offsite question, we expect there will be a collaborative effort with both some onsite and offsite work required. All the work does not need to be done onsite.

98. Question: Is the knowledge base and questions separate for VCE/VCA (or) the same?

State’s Response: The knowledge base and questions will need to be separate for the Virtual Chat and Virtual Employee assistants.

99. Question: Would the SCDMV be open to a desktop widget for the VCE solution instead of integration in Phoenix II?

State’s Response: Yes.

100. Question: Is it possible for us to have a working session with the team that manages Cisco Finesse platform to architect the agent escalation and conversation transfer functionality?

State’s Response: Yes.

101. Question: Are there any specific languages outside of English that the SCDMV would like to support?

State’s Response: Spanish.

102. Question: RFP Context: F. Design Requirements – 2 a) iii.e) "Allows integration with third party BI tools" - May we know which BI tool the state utilizes as of today?

State’s Response: Microsoft’s PowerBI.

103. Question: RFP Context: 5. Application Security a) API for third party Security-as-a-Service provider - could you elaborate a bit more on this?

State’s Response: SCDMV does not have a Security-as-a-Service provider. Microsoft ADFS is leveraged to manage the security of SCDMV’s cloud-based properties.

104. Question: Workflow Routing - Row 71 Attachment B - Can you elaborate a bit more on expectation for this?

State’s Response: SCDMV has several specialized help desk units that assist customers with driver, vehicle, and business-related issues. We would like Contact Center agents to have the ability to re-route customer interactions to the appropriate agency help desk for resolution.

105. Question: Classification - Row 74 Attachment B - Can you elaborate a bit more on expectation for this?

State’s Response: SCDMV would like to know if the workflow solution can automatically assign classifications if predefined conditions are met.

106. Question: New work creation - Row 76 Attachment B - Can you elaborate a bit more on expectation for this?

State’s Response: SCDMV would like to know if the workflow solution can automatically create and/or assign new tasks if predefined conditions are met.

107. Question: SLA Support - Attachment B Row 95 - Does the SCDMV require 24/7 support for the solution?

State’s Response: No. SCDMV expects Offerors to comply with the Service Levels section on page 53 of the RFP.

108. Question: Would the SCDMV be open to using language translation for the chatbot (or) would they want to use NLP in multiple languages?

State’s Response: SCDMV would like to leverage NLP in at least English and Spanish.

109. Question: Attachment B - Functionality - Row 10 - Which do we replace? Can you elaborate on this please?

State’s Response: SCDMV is not asking the Contractor to replace any of the solutions listed as we do not currently have any implemented. We would like to know if Offerors typically replace any of the solutions when engaging with customers and, if so, which solutions.

110. Question: Attachment B - Functionality - Row 35 - What do you mean by Avatar in the VCA/VCE context?

State’s Response: An embodied conversational entity that interacts with humans via the VCA/VEA solution.

111. Question: Attachment B - Functionality - Row 51 - Can you please elaborate what you mean by a parser?

State’s Response: A function used to analyze a sentence or other string of words into its constituents, resulting in a parse tree showing their syntactic relation to each other, which may also contain semantic and other information.

112. Question: Which Sitecore product does SCDMV use?

a. What version?

b. On-prem or cloud based?

c. If on-prem, what database system is used to host it?

State’s Response: 9.3. On prem. SQL.

113. Question: What version of Cisco Finesse is in use?

a. On-prem or cloud based?

b. If on-prem, what database system is used to host it?

State’s Response: BroadSoft is a cloud based solution that uses MS Sql Server database.

114. Question: What database system and version is used to house data for the Phoenix II system?

State’s Response: Oracle 12.2.0.1.0

115. Question: RFP Context: Section C – Current Environment

a. Approximately how many articles/documents will be moved as knowledge base articles into the platform?

b. Will the partner be required to load all articles/documents or will SC-DMV perform any of that function?

c. How many Customer Service Management processes are currently supported within the organization?

d. How are "Mail In" items entered by the organization?

e. Upon completion of implementation, will the organization train any personnel to maintain basic operations of the platform, (e.g., user provisioning)?

State’s Response:

a. SCDMV does not have an approximate number at this time. Our Training & Change Management team will need to curate existing documentation (i.e. FAQs, training, and procedures) and create two sets of Knowledge Base content for the VCA and VEA. The content will be based on the top five most asked questions received by each contact center within the agency.

b. The Contractor will not be required to load Knowledge Base documents into the proposed system. If the service is not provided, SCDMV will upload the content.

c. SCDMV does not have a centralized solution to manage CSM processes therefore we cannot provide an answer to this question. SCDMV does not intend for the virtual assistant solution to manage all agency processes. Please refer to Section III. A. of the RFP on page 18 for a listing of the application goals and objectives.

d. Items mailed in to SCDMV are outside of the scope of this RFP.

e. Please refer to Section III. E. 5. of the RFP (pages 21).

116. Question: RFP Context: Section E – Project Deliverables

a. Are mobile configurations in scope?

b. What part of UAT will SCDMV be involved with, if any?

c. Approximately how many users would be in scope for training?

State’s Response:

a. The VCA functionality should be the same for customers who access the website via desktop or mobile device. Internal users (employees) will only access the VEA via desktop. Mobile App Integration is out of scope.

b. SCDMV will provide staffing for UAT. We will have both field office and contact center(s) staffing to vet and approve the application prior to production implementation.

c. Please see response to Question #37.

117. Question: RFP Context: Section C – Current Environment, 3. Infrastructure and Standards, b) Data Ownership and Intellectual Property Rights - The Solicitation states: “Once the project is completed, all data ownership and intellectual property rights will be turned over to SCDMV.” As we are a SaaS company, we provide to our customers a license to fully access and use our software to build conversational virtual assistants, including any updates and new versions available but with no transfer of IPR. Will that be sufficient?

State’s Response: SCDMV is concerned more about the data ownership than software. Data that SCDMV may create such as intents, faqs, nlp, knowledgebase, must be retained by SCDMV in the event we were to migrate to a new VCA or something happens to the company supplying the software.

118. Question: RFP Context: VIIC SCDMV’s Special Clauses – Term of Contract – Non-Termination or Suspension by Contractor, Termination for Contractor Insolvency 3. License to Contractor Owned Software. We, of course, understand the need for the State to protect its business operation in the event a vendor was to become insolvent - but turning over the source code is not a viable option for us. We can offer a number of other methods for SCDMV to maintain business continuity in this event. Are there any alternatives that SCDMV would consider acceptable?

State’s Response: See response to #117. SCDMV is open to other methods to maintain business continuity with this application in the event the business becomes solvent.

119. Question: RFP Context: VIIB Special Terms and Conditions – Offshore Contracting Prohibited. We understand the guidance behind this clause as it protects citizen data. However, as a global software company similar to Microsoft, IBM, and others, we have engineers outside the U.S. (in our case Norway) that work on our platform. We are extremely rigorous in our security and data protection processes, are fully GDPR compliant, and on our way to become ISO 27001 certified. Does this clause mean you won't work with Microsoft or any company that has a resource abroad either?

State’s Response: For this solicitation, offshore contracting is prohibited as described in the solicitation.

ALL OTHER TERMS, CONDITIONS, BIDDING INSTRUCTIONS, AND SPECIFICATIONS REMAIN UNCHANGED. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR IF ANY CONFUSION OR UNCERTAINTY ARISES AS A RESULT OF THIS AMENDMENT, IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFEROR TO CONTACT THE PROCUREMENT OFFICER FOR CLARIFICATION. CONTACT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE COVER PAGE OF THIS AMENDMENT. REFERENCE THE “DUTY TO INQUIRE” CLAUSE IN THE ORIGINAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

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