RFI#E500964_Financial Aid Student Center Solution.pdf

Financial Aid Student Center Solution University at Albany

Request for Information (RFI)

Issuing Institution: State University of New York (SUNY) – University at Albany

RFI Number: E500594

Release Date: 07/13/2026

Questions Due: 08/5/2026

RFI Response Due Date: 08/19/2026

1. Introduction and Purpose

UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY

Established in 1844, the University at Albany is one of the four University Centers of the State University of New York (SUNY), the largest public higher education system, comprising 64 campuses. The University at Albany is a major public research university offering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education across a broad range of academic fields. The largest public four‑year university in the Capital Region, the University at Albany enrolls approximately 17,000 students, including roughly 13,000 undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students.

OFFICE OF FINANCIAL AID

The Financial Aid Office at the University at Albany administers federal, state, institutional, and private financial aid programs and serves a broad constituent base that includes prospective students, admitted students, enrolled students, former students, parents, and authorized third parties. The office manages a high volume of inquiries across multiple channels—including phone, email, web forms, appointments, and in‑person walk‑ins—and seeks to deliver timely, accurate, and compliant support while maintaining strong student service and data stewardship practices.

DESCRIPTION

The University at Albany (SUNY) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to gather information from qualified vendors regarding cloud‑based constituent communications solutions that support centralized service delivery for the Financial Aid Office.

The purpose of this RFI is to:

• Identify a single, modern solution that enables the Financial Aid Office to manage all student interactions within a centralized platform across all communication channels.

• Assess the capabilities, functionality, and maturity of available solutions.

• Inform internal planning, budgeting, and potential future procurement activities.

• Evaluate how solutions support effective omnichannel engagement, improve operational efficiency, and meet compliance and regulatory requirements.

This RFI is informational only and does not constitute a solicitation, commitment, or promise to issue a future RFP.

2. Institutional and Business Context The Financial Aid Office supports a broad population, including prospective students, admitted students, current students, former students/alumni, parents, and third parties. Constituents engage with the office across multiple communication channels, including:

• Phone

• Email

• Web tickets/cases

• Web forms

• Walk‑in lobby visits

• Scheduled in‑person and virtual appointments

• Web platforms

Currently, staff rely on multiple disconnected systems (e.g., phone, email, ticketing, and appointment tools), making it difficult to effectively track conversations, provide consistent service, maintain a complete view of a student’s interaction history, and operate efficiently.

The University is seeking to identify a single solution to centralize, track, and manage these interactions. The goal is to improve service consistency, reduce staff burden, and maintain a comprehensive, auditable record of interactions across the student lifecycle.

3. Solution Vision and Desired State The Financial Aid Office is seeking information on a centralized constituent service and communications platform that enables staff to perform their daily work within a single, centralized platform. The desired solution should provide a “single pane of glass” experience that brings together constituent information, communication history, and service activities—such as cases, tickets, appointments, walk-in visits, queue management, phone interactions, ability to video conference on demand, emails, and knowledge resources—into one unified interface.

The University is specifically interested in addressing reliance on multiple disconnected systems, minimize context‑switching for staff, and present a complete, real‑time view of constituent interactions across all service channels and stages of the student lifecycle. While integrations with enterprise systems will continue to be required, the preferred approach is to identify solutions that deliver core Financial Aid service capabilities natively where possible and employ integrations as needed to extend functionality—but not fragment it.

The University is not seeking:

• A standalone ticketing system

• A call center or telephony-only solution

• An appointment scheduling tool in isolation

• An email management system only

• A collection of loosely integrated or siloed applications

The goal is to manage all these interactions within one system, rather than across multiple separate tools.

4. Key Service Areas Vendors should describe how their solutions support the following key service areas relied upon or necessary for today:

• Centralized Constituent Engagement and Omnichannel Communications

• Phone and Contact-Center Capabilities

• Ability to video conference on demand

• Case, Ticketing, and Service Management

• Appointment and Walk‑In (Lobby) Service Support

• Self‑Service and Knowledge Access

• Broad Population Support (authenticated and unauthenticated users)

• Centralized Email and Communications Management

• Reporting, Analytics, and Operational Insight

• Integration, Compliance, and Enterprise Alignment

5. Solution Requirements for Key Service Areas The solution is expected to support key service areas within a single, unified platform. Ideally, these capabilities should be delivered natively; however, solutions that rely on third-party integrations are also acceptable, provided that externally sourced interactions are seamlessly surfaced within the platform to maintain a consistent and unified user experience.

Requirements for each service area are outlined throughout section five (5) below.

Vendors are asked to complete each subsection chart by indicating Yes, No, or With Conditions for each item. For any item marked With Conditions, please provide an explanation in the Notes column.

Within the chart, the University has identified certain items as Must Have to reflect capabilities considered necessary to support our work. A vendor’s inability to meet one or more Must Have items does not preclude the vendor from submitting a response. For any Must Have item that cannot be met, vendors should select No and clearly explain the reason, context, or any proposed alternatives in the Notes column.

5.1 Omnichannel Communications

Vendors should describe how their solution provides a comprehensive, unified view of each constituent across all service interactions. This includes the ability for staff to view and manage communications—such as phone calls, emails, appointments, walk-in visits, and cases/tickets— within a single, integrated interface.

The solution should also support end-to-end tracking and visibility of all interactions throughout the full student lifecycle, including prospective students, applicants, enrolled students, former students, and alumni, ensuring a complete and continuous record over time.

Omnichannel Communications

Yes No With Conditions

Notes

Does the solution provide a unified constituent record that consolidates all service interactions (e.g., cases/tickets, calls, emails, appointments, and walk-in visits) into a single view for staff?

Does the solution capture all interaction types (e.g., phone calls, emails, appointments, walk-in visits, and cases/tickets) and associate them to a record ensuring complete chronological interaction timeline within the record?

Can staff view and manage all interaction types directly within the same interface?

Does the solution include filtering and search capabilities for interaction history?

Does the solution support automated routing and assignment of interactions across channels to the appropriate queue, service area, or staff member when intervention is required?

Are all omnichannel interaction capabilities delivered natively within the solution?

If integrations are required, are externally sourced interactions surfaced within the solution in a way that maintains a unified user experience?

Can the solution support multiple offices or service units?

Does the solution allow for single, continuous record for each constituent as they move through the student lifecycle (e.g., prospect, enrolled student, former student), please briefly describe deduplication or other system native record management practices.

5.2 Telephony and Contact Center Support

Vendors should describe how their solution handles phone interactions. The University currently operates an enterprise Cisco contact center and telephony environment. Vendors may meet the University’s phone and contact‑center needs through native functionality within the proposed solution, or through documented integration with the existing Cisco platform.

Telephony and Contact Center Support

Telephony: Native or Integrated?

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

Does the solution provide phone and contact center capabilities natively?

N/A

Can the solution integrate with the University’s existing Cisco platform for phone and contact center functionality? Vendors must clearly describe any required licensing, middleware, configuration, or professional services needed to support this integration.

N/A

If phone and contact center capabilities are delivered via integration, does the solution surface those interactions in a way that maintains a seamless and unified user experience?

N/A

Call Handling and Queue Management

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must support inbound and outbound calling

X

The solution must support Interactive Voice Response

(IVR)

X

The solution must support configurable queues X

The solution must support custom queue-specific hold messaging and hold music

X

The solution must support queue callback options

The solution must provide estimated wait times and/or the number of callers ahead in the queue

X

The solution must support configurable phone hours by queue and number

X

The solution must support warm and cold call transfers

X

The solution must support call routing based on queue, number dialed, and caller input

X

Agent Tools Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must provide agent softphones that are browser-based and/or desktop-based

X

The solution must provide standard call controls (e.g., answer, hold, transfer, mute) agent status management (e.g., available, busy)

X

The solution must allow agents to enter call notes during and after calls

X

The solution must support selection of reason codes as part of call wrap-up

Call Logging and Case Management

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must automatically log call metadata including date/time, duration, agent, queue, hold time, and call outcome

X

The solution must support functionality for associating calls with constituent records and documenting the interaction history (e.g., voice-to-ticket)

X

The solution must support automated routing and assignment of phone interactions to the appropriate queue, service area, or staff member when intervention is required

X

Contextual Call Handling and Agent

Visibility Requirements

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes automatic screen-pop of caller information based on configurable rules

The solution must display a callers prior interaction history (e.g., tickets, calls, appointments) caller lookup by a unique identifier

Supervisor, Quality, & Performance Management

Requirements

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must support supervisor call monitoring X

The solution must support call recording X

The solution must support transcription or speech-to-text and logging of the transcription

X

The solution must provide real-time dashboards for supervisors to view agent statuses.

X

The solution must support automated customer satisfaction surveys following phone/video interactions and associate survey responses with the related call, agent, and constituent record

Reporting and Analytics

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must provide reporting on call volume X

The solution must provide reporting on answered and abandoned calls

X

The solution must provide reporting on average call handle time

X

The solution must provide average speed of call answer

X

The solution must provide reporting on caller wait time

X

The solution must provide agent-level performance reporting

X

The solution must provide configurable or custom call reports

X

The solution must provide exporting call reports in common formats (e.g., CSV, Excel, PDF)

X

AI Assisted Capabilities

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must provide AI-assisted call summaries

The solution must provide real-time AI-assisted agent guidance from a Knowledgebase

Video Communications Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must allow agents to escalate an active phone call to a video session, enabling constituents to join through a simple link or invitation without interrupting the interaction browser-based video meetings and not require constituents to install software or create an account screen sharing during video sessions

The solution must log video interactions as part of the constituent interaction history

The solution must allow constituents to initiate an on-demand video support session and be placed into a virtual queue for the appropriate service area, like the experience of calling a contact center

5.3 Ticket Management

Vendors should describe how their solution supports ticket management. Given the volume of questions received by the Financial Aid Office that require follow-up, it is essential that the solution enables the assignment of questions to specific staff members and service groups, ensuring that inquiries are tracked, managed, and resolved in an organized and timely manner.

Ticket Management

Ticket Management:

Native or Integrated?

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

Does the solution provide ticket management capabilities natively?

N/A

Does the solution provide ticket management capabilities through third-party integrations?

N/A

If ticket management capabilities are delivered via integration, does the solution surface those interactions in a way that maintains a seamless and unified user experience?

N/A

Case Intake and Creation

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must allow staff to create tickets (admin and non-admin)

X

The solution must support constituent-submitted tickets via web forms

The solution must support authenticated case submissions (user must sign in with campus credentials)

X

The solution must support unauthenticated case submissions (no account or login required)

X

The solution must support the creation of tickets from interactions originating across all communication channels (e.g., phone, walk-in, appointments, and email)

X

The solution must support associating tickets with constituent records while maintaining a documented interaction history

X

Intake Configuration, Identity & Access Control

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must support configurable web intake forms provide role-based access and permissions

X

The solution must support file or document attachments to tickets

X

The solution must generate unique identifiers for each ticket (e.g., ticket number)

X

Workflow, Routing & Ticket

Management

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must support configurable ticket workflows and routing

X

The solution must support assignment of categories to tickets (e.g., State Aid, Private Loan)

X

The solution must support assignment of priorities to tickets (e.g., low, medium, high). Priority classifications must be visible only to authorized users and not displayed to ticket submitters.

support multiple ticket statuses (e.g., active, pending user response, closed)

X

The solution must support ticket reassignment

X

The solution must support the ability to lock tickets upon closure, preventing additional responses unless the ticket is formally reopened

X

The solution must support automated ticket closure based on configurable rules

X

Constituent and Staff

Communication

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must support two‑way communication between constituents and staff

X

The solution must log all communications to the associated ticket

X

The solution must support standardized or pre‑defined response templates support automated ticket confirmation messages

X

The solution must support internal staff notes on tickets

X

The solution must support collaboration between staff members within a ticket

X

Context, Visibility & Knowledge

Support

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must provide a full activity timeline for each ticket

X

The solution must display related or linked tickets

X

The solution must provide knowledge base article suggestions to staff to support and improve ticket responses provide relevant knowledge base article suggestions to constituents during ticket submission to encourage self-service and reduce unnecessary ticket creation support self‑service access for constituents to view case status and responses

X

Reporting, Administration &

Governance Requirements

Must Have Yes No With

Conditions Notes

The solution must provide operational and administrative reporting

X

The solution must support data export in common formats (e.g., Excel, CSV, PDF)

X

The solution must support configurable system administration without vendor intervention

X

The solution must support records retention policies support automated customer satisfaction surveys upon ticket resolution or closure.

Survey responses must be associated with the related ticket and available for reporting and analysis

5.4 Knowledgebase and Self‑Service

Vendors should describe how their solution supports knowledgebase and self-service capabilities. Given the volume of inquiries received by the Financial Aid Office, it is essential that the solution provides a robust, maintainable knowledgebase that enables staff to easily create, update, and manage content over time, ensuring information remains accurate and continues to grow in value. The knowledgebase should be publicly accessible, supporting constituent self-service and helping to reduce the volume of incoming requests.

Knowledgebase and Self‑Service

Knowledgebase and Self‑Service: Native or Integrated?

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the solution provide knowledge base and self-service capabilities natively?

N/A

Does the solution provide knowledge base and self-service capabilities through third-party integrations?

N/A

If knowledge base and self-service capabilities are delivered via integration, does the solution surface those interactions in a way that maintains a seamless and unified user experience?

N/A

Knowledgebase & Search

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must provide a public‑facing, searchable knowledgebase

X

The solution must support knowledge content visibility for authenticated users (user must sign in with campus credentials) support filtering of content by category, topic, title, or tag

X

The solution must provide mobile‑responsive knowledgebase content

X

The solution must support FAQ‑style knowledge articles

X

The solution must support featured or highlighted knowledge articles support display of related or recommended content

X

Knowledge Authoring, Governance & Lifecycle

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must provide tools for authoring and editing knowledge content

X

The solution must support publishing of knowledge articles and scheduled publishing

X

The solution must support content approval workflows

X

The solution must maintain version history for knowledge articles

X

The solution must support assignment of content ownership by role or department

X

The solution must support scheduled expiration or retirement of knowledge content

Analytics & Content Insights

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must provide reporting on knowledge article views provide analytics on search activity and common search terms identify unsuccessful searches or gaps in available content

X

Chatbot & Automation Support

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution should support integration with native, IVY, or third‑party chatbots.

5.5 Walk‑In Lobby Management

Vendors should describe how their solution supports walk-in and lobby management capabilities. Given the high volume and diverse population of visitors to the Financial Aid Office, including admitted students, current students, parents/guardians, and former students, it is essential that the solution provides structured tools to manage walk-in interactions in an organized, efficient, and trackable manner.

Walk-In Lobby Management

Walk-In Lobby Management: Native or Integrated?

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the solution provide walk-in and lobby management capabilities natively?

N/A

Does the solution provide walk-in and lobby management capabilities through third-party integrations?

If walk-in and lobby management capabilities are delivered via integration, does the solution surface those interactions in a way that maintains a seamless and unified user experience?

N/A

Self-Service & Staff-Assisted

Check-In

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support check-in for authenticated users (user must sign in with campus credentials)

X

The solution must support check-in for unauthenticated users (no account or login required)

X

The solution must support staff-assisted check-in X

The solution must support check-in via tablets/kiosk X

The solution must support web-based check-in X

The solution must support both walk-in visits and scheduled appointments check-in

X

The solution must support configurable capture of visitor information at check-in.

configurable check-in messaging

X

Queue, Wait-Time & Notification

Management

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must automatically place visitors into the appropriate queue upon check-in

X

The solution must display estimated wait times to visitors

X

The solution must support privacy-safe queue and wait time displays by using unique identifiers in place of personally identifiable information (e.g., numbers instead of names)

X

The solution must support configurable lobby or waiting-area screens

X

The solution must allow visitors to remove themselves from a queue

Routing & Staff Availability

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support transferring visitors between queues

The solution must allow staff to manage and control queues staff availability and status management

X

The solution must support transferring visits between individual staff members

X

The solution must support configurable check-in availability by service, date, and time

X

Visit Records & Service Context

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must track visit date, start and end times

X

The solution must allow staff to capture visit notes and outcomes

X

The solution must display prior interaction history X

The solution must support automated customer satisfaction surveys following the completion of a walk-in visit. Survey responses must be associated with the related visit record and available for reporting and analysis

Administration & Reporting

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support role-based administrative access

X

The solution must provide reporting on visit volume X

The solution must provide reporting on wait times X

The solution must provide reporting on service duration

X

The solution must support exporting reports in common formats (e.g., Excel, CSV, PDF)

5.6 Appointment Scheduling

Vendors should describe how their solution supports appointment scheduling capabilities. Given the high volume and diverse population served by the Financial Aid Office, including prospective students, admitted students, current students, parents/guardians, and former students, the solution must provide structured tools to schedule and manage both in-person and virtual appointments in an organized, efficient, and trackable manner.

Appointment Scheduling

Appointment Scheduling: Native or Integrated?

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the solution provide appointment scheduling capabilities natively?

Does the solution provide appointment scheduling capabilities through third-party integrations?

N/A

If appointment scheduling capabilities are delivered via integration, does the solution surface those interactions in a way that maintains a seamless and unified user experience?

N/A

Constituent Self-Booking

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support constituent self-booking of appointments through a web-based interface

X

The solution must support self-booking for in-person and virtual appointments

X

The solution must allow appointments to be booked by service type (e.g., State Aid, Private Loans) and advisor

X

The solution must allow appointments to be booked by reason for visit support appointment booking by authenticated users (user must sign in with campus credentials)

X

The solution must support appointment booking by unauthenticated users (no account or login required)

X

Staff Availability & Scheduling

Management

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support configurable staff schedules

X

The solution must support configurable working hours

X

The solution must support configurable appointment durations

X

The solution must support individual staff scheduling

X

The solution must support appointment routing based on the selected service area, allowing different services to be assigned to specific staff groups or all available advisors

Appointment Management &

Communications

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support staff-scheduled appointments

X

The solution must support modification of existing appointments by staff

X

The solution must support appointment status tracking (e.g., scheduled, completed, cancelled)

X

The solution must provide automated appointment confirmations

X

The solution must provide automated appointment reminders

X

The solution must support virtual meeting links for virtual appointments

X

The solution must allow capture of intake information during appointment scheduling

X

The solution must support document uploads as part of pre-appointment intake support configurable pre-appointment questionnaires support staff notes to be recorded during appointments

X

Check-In, Integration & Reporting

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support check-in for in-person appointments

X

The solution must support alignment with walk-in lobby queues

X

The solution must support prioritization of scheduled appointments over walk-ins, as configured

X

The solution must support integration with Outlook calendars

X

The solution must support role-based access to scheduling and appointment data

X

The solution must provide reporting on appointment volume

X

The solution must provide reporting on appointment completion provide reporting on appointment cancellations

X

The solution must provide reporting on appointment no-shows

X

The solution must support automated customer satisfaction surveys following the completion of an appointment. Survey responses must be associated with the related visit record and available for reporting and analysis.

5.7 Centralized Email Management

Currently, the Financial Aid Office relies on multiple systems to send email communications due to fragmented constituent data across prospective, admitted, current, and former student populations. The ideal solution would centralize all constituents within a single platform, enabling streamlined communication, improved organization, and more effective tracking.

Centralized Email Management

Centralized Email Management: Native or Integrated?

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the solution provide centralized email management capabilities natively?

Does the solution provide centralized email management capabilities through third-party integrations?

N/A

If centralized email management capabilities are delivered via integration, does the solution surface those interactions in a way that maintains a seamless and unified user experience?

N/A

Email Communication

Management

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support sending email communications to all constituent populations (prospective, admitted, current, and former students) from a single platform.

X

The solution must support audience segmentation to enable targeted communications based on constituent attributes and lifecycle stage.

X

Automatic logging of all inbound and outbound emails, including conversation history with association with the constituent record.

support group-based email management, including shared inboxes or queues and assignment of messages to staff.

X

The solution must support automated responses and rules-based routing of incoming emails to the appropriate staff or group.

X

The solution must support reusable templates and personalized messaging to ensure consistency and efficiency.

X

The solution must provide audit trails for email activity (e.g., sent, opened, responded)

X

The solution must support automatic ticket/case creation from inbound emails

X

The solution must enable staff to respond to emails directly from within tickets

X

The solution must provide reporting on volume (sent/received), response times, open and click rates

5.8 Integrations and Architecture

The University is seeking solutions that reduce reliance on multiple, disconnected systems, minimize staff context-switching, and provide a comprehensive, real-time view of constituent interactions across all service channels and stages of the student lifecycle. While integration with enterprise systems is expected, the preferred approach is a solution that delivers core Financial Aid service capabilities natively wherever possible, using integrations to enhance— rather than fragment—the user experience. Vendors should also describe their experience integrating with enterprise systems.

The solution should support secure batch and real-time data integrations using industry-standard integration methods, including APIs, web services, and file transfers, as applicable.

Vendors should describe their integration architecture, available integration options, and any associated requirements or limitations.

The technologies listed in this matrix represent a combination of institutional systems, enterprise applications, communication platforms, and integration services currently utilized by the College.

Vendors are asked to complete the chart below by indicating Yes or No for each item whether their solution can integrate with each technology and provide additional details regarding integration methods, requirements, or limitations where applicable. For any item that requires further clarification or explanation, please utilize the Notes column.

Campus Technology Integration Yes No Notes

Do you have experience integrating with PeopleSoft Campus Solutions?

Do you have experience integrating with Microsoft Outlook?

integrating with EAB Navigate?

integrating with Slate by Technolutions?

Campus Technology Integration Yes No Notes

Do you have experience integrating with Campus Logic?

integrating with Inceptia?

Do you have experience integrating with JotForm?

Do you have experience integrating with IVY Chatbot?

integrating with MuleSoft Integration Platform?

integrating with Cisco telephony platform?

integrating with Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) and/or Shibboleth for authentication and single sign-on (SSO)?

with integrating with reporting and business intelligence platforms (e.g., OBIEE, Power BI)?

integrating with CampusESP?

5.9 Reporting and Analytics

In addition to the reporting capabilities described within individual service areas, vendors should describe the solution’s overarching reporting and analytics framework and how it delivers a unified, consolidated view across all data and interactions.

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must provide centralized, cross-channel reporting that consolidates tickets, phone interactions, appointments, walk-ins, and email into a single view, with unified analytics for volume, response and resolution times, and wait times by date, service type, and other key dimensions

X

Availability of dashboards for frontline staff, supervisors, and leadership, including real‑time and historical views

X

Self‑service reporting and configuration available to institutional users without vendor intervention

Data export and data access options for institutional analysis in common formats (Excel, CSV, PDF)

Must Have Yes No With Conditions Notes

The solution must support analytic views for multiple offices or service units

Please describe how your software integrates with other business reporting systems (e.g., Power BI)

N/A N/A N/A N/A

6. Security, Privacy, Accessibility, and Compliance Vendors must describe their approach to security, privacy, accessibility, and regulatory compliance.

Vendors are asked to complete the chart below by indicating Yes, No, or With Conditions for each item. For any item marked With Conditions, please provide an explanation in the Notes column.

Vendors are asked to include VPAT and HECVAT as attachments with responses.

Security, Privacy, Accessibility, and

Compliance Yes No With Conditions Notes

Compliance with FERPA and adherence to higher education data privacy best practices

Support for configurable data retention

Conformance with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG), including the ability to provide a current Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT). Vendor should include VPAT as an attachment.

Support for Higher Education Community Vendor Assessment Toolkit (HECVAT), including the ability to provide completed HECVAT documentation.

Vendor should include HECVAT as an attachment.

Clearly defined Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance and transparency practices, including a clear description of any AI‑enabled capabilities used within the solution, their purpose and functionality, in alignment with applicable AI transparency and disclosure requirements (e.g., New York State’s Loading Act).

Documented backup procedures, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity strategies, including recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives

(RPO)

Defined system maintenance approach and schedule, including advance notice, communication methods, procedures, and expected downtime

Architecture & Technical Standards Yes No With Conditions Notes

Is the solution SaaS or PaaS (cloud-first)? If not, is the on-premises or self-hosted justification sound?

Do you provide secure, standards-based APIs (REST/GraphQL, OAuth 2.0) for core business processes and data exchange?

Does the solution provide a mobile-friendly, responsive design for all user-facing interfaces?

Resilience & Availability Architecture Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the solution architecture support the availability tier required by its business criticality rating (e.g., active-active, active-passive, multi-region/availability-zone redundancy)?

Do you have a well-documented business continuity plan (BCP), with a clear owner, that is tested annually?

Do you have a documented disaster recovery plan (DRP), with a clear owner, that is tested annually?

Service Level & Uptime Governance Yes No With Conditions Notes

Do you provide a contractually binding SLA with defined uptime targets (e.g., 99.9%+), measurement methodology, and remedies for non-compliance?

Data Governance & Portability Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the University retain full ownership of all institutional data created, stored, or processed by the solution?

Can data be exported in open, non-proprietary formats (CSV, JSON, XML, or API) if the solution is replaced?

Is customer data logically or physically segregated from other tenants?

Identity & Access Management Yes No With Conditions Notes

Can the solution integrate with the University’s identity providers (Microsoft Entra ID and/or Shibboleth) for both end-user and administrative authentication?

Does the solution support automated account provisioning and deprovisioning via SCIM, API, or other standards-based identity lifecycle protocols?

Can the solution enforce segregation of duties through delegated administration, ensuring that operational, data, and security admin roles can be assigned independently?

Role-Based Access Control Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the solution support hierarchical or attribute-based role definitions that can map to the University’s organizational structure (colleges, departments, functional units)?

Can roles and permissions be managed programmatically (API/bulk import) and audited for drift from the approved role matrix?

AI & Automated Decision Making –

Policy, Legal & Contractual

Yes No With Conditions Notes

Does the product use AI, machine learning, or automated decision-making capabilities? (If No, skip to Operational Feasibility)

Is the AI restricted from making autonomous decisions involving public assistance, civil liberties, safety, welfare, or access to benefits without human authorization?

Is there a defined human review and approval process in place before any AI-generated recommendation materially impacts an individual (admissions, financial aid, employment, discipline)?

Is the AI use compliant with New York State transparency and disclosure requirements, including ITS Policy NYS-P24-001?

Does the institution retain all intellectual property rights to outputs generated through use of the AI tool?

Will the vendor provide advance notice of material AI model changes that could affect outcomes or accuracy?

If institutional data is used for training, fine-tuning, or model improvement, is it anonymized or aggregated before use?

Does the contract include independent provisions for detecting and addressing bias beyond vendor self-attestation?

Operational Feasibility & Institutional Capacity Yes No With Conditions Notes

What is the ongoing operational responsibilities for the vendor (patching, upgrades, monitoring, user support, integration maintenance)?

N/A N/A N/A

What is the ongoing operational responsibilities for university staff (patching, upgrades, monitoring, user support, integration maintenance)?

N/A N/A N/A

Lifecycle & Sustainability Yes No With Conditions Notes

Please describe your customer off-boarding and data exit process, including available data export formats, typical timelines, and any associated costs.

N/A N/A N/A

7. Vendor Background and Experience Vendors should provide the following information to demonstrate organizational qualifications, relevant experience, and overall fit for the University’s needs.

Vendors are asked to complete the table below and provide concise but thorough responses in the Notes column.

Vendor Background and Experience Notes

Vendor name, corporate headquarters, and primary business address

Overview of the company and solution, including years in operation, target market, and company size

Primary Contact for this RFI (name, title, email, phone)

Secondary Contact for this RFI (name, title, email, phone)

Experience supporting higher education institutions, specifically Financial Aid and/or student services offices, including typical institution size supported

Current higher education clients similar in size and complexity to the University at Albany (e.g., doctoral/research universities). Include a brief description of how these institutions are using the solution.

High-level description of the solution architecture, including scalability, flexibility, and ability to support growth in users, data volume, and functionality without significant re-platforming; include deployment model (e.g., cloud-based, vendor-hosted)

Typical implementation approach and high-level timeline

Vendor Background and Experience Notes

Description of training provided during implementation, including available materials and support for both functional and technical staff

Overview of licensing model and general pricing approach (high-level, non-binding)

Pricing/Cost Structure Overview

The University reserves the right to seek additional information or clarification as part of this RFI process.

8. RESPONSE INFORMATION

All questions regarding technical aspects of this request should be directed in writing by 08/05/2026 to:

Ms. Jessica Hill Email: jjhill@albany.edu

Electronic copies of vendor’s submittal should be delivered by 4:00 p.m. on 08/19/2026 to the following location:

Ms. Jessica Hill Email: jjhill@albany.edu

Management Services Center, Room 302 University at Albany

1400 Washington Ave.

Albany, New York 12222 Telephone: 518.442.6461

UNIVERSITY CONDITIONS

The University at Albany will not be liable for any costs incurred by respondents in the preparation and production of a response or the costs of any services performed. All responses and materials submitted in conjunction with this request shall become the property of the University at Albany for use as deemed appropriate, respecting all copyrights, trade secrets and any other proprietary information.

By submitting a response, the vendor agrees that s/he will not make any claims for or have the right to damages because of any misinterpretation or lack of information on the part of the University at Albany. The vendor also understands that his/her response will not be considered a proposal and will not result in a contractual relationship with the University at Albany.

Subcontractors: Except for vendors designated by the University, the vendor must include in his/her response a statement giving the name and address of all proposed subcontractors. Said statement must contain a description of the portion of the work which the proposed subcontractors are to perform/provide and any information tending to prove that the proposed subcontractors have the necessary skill, integrity, experience and financial resources to provide the service in accordance with this Request for Information.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT DOING BUSINESS IN NEW YORK STATE

The University at Albany is a State University of New York public entity that follows NYS and SUNY Procurement laws and guidelines. Any future requests for proposal (RFP) or requests for quote (RFQ) will require vendors accept NYS terms and conditions as part of the procurement process and acceptance of a State of New York purchase order and/or contract, including at minimum, New York State Exhibit A, A-1, Exhibit B as non-negotiable documents . Additional terms and forms are required based on final contract price.

If your company has not done business with New York State, we encourage you to review the following suggested resources to understand as a vendor what may be required if you respond to a future opportunity from a State of New York entity.

1. Doing Business with SUNY Schools; required forms and processes.

2. https://www.suny.edu/meansbusiness/

3. Doing Business with New York State; SUNY is a division within New York State and subject to New York State Procurement Requirements.

4. https://nyspro.ogs.ny.gov/sites/default/files/uploaded/DoingBusinessWithNYS.pdf

5. Office of the NYS Comptroller – VendRep System; vendors must enroll in the vendrep system to do business in NYS. Create a vendor ID and assign a contact for updates and changes

6. http://www.osc.state.ny.us/vendrep/info_vrsystem.htm

7. Empire State Development: guidelines for MWBE goals and certified NYS MWBE vendors

8. https://esd.ny.gov/

[END OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION]

https://www.suny.edu/meansbusiness/ https://nyspro.ogs.ny.gov/sites/default/files/uploaded/DoingBusinessWithNYS.pdf http://www.osc.state.ny.us/vendrep/info_vrsystem.htm https://esd.ny.gov/