RFQ 2027.02 ITS86 Customer Service Ticketing Portal.pdf

Request for Quotation – RFQ 2027.02 (ITS86) – Customer Support System

Date: August 04, 2026

Relevant Background Information: The Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is an independent state agency with a statutory mission to prevent and detect fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds, whether state, federal or local. As part of this mission, the OIG runs a Learning and Development (L&D) Division that offers comprehensive training and support to public officials, public employees, nonprofits, and vendors that work with government agencies through the OIG Academy and the OIG Procurement Support Helpdesk. The Procurement Support Helpdesk receives inquiries through telephone, email, or through the OIG’s website. In addition, the Academy maintains two Outlook inboxes to service Academy Students. The OIG-Training- Inbox receives administrative inquires such as systems access, registration, and payment through telephone and email. The Ask the Instructor Inbox receives course related questions via email. For additional information, vendors can visit the OIG’s website at https://maoig.gov/oig-academy/ and https://maoig.gov/procurement-support/request-technical-support/.

The Procurement Support Helpdesk receives approximately 1,200 inquiries annually. The Training and Ask inboxes receive approximately 6,000 inquiries a year. The OIG has approximately 100 employees and is seeking a platform that can be used by two primary administrators and around 25 users regularly.

Description of Need Summary: The OIG seeks a qualified vendor to provide a web-based Software as a Service (SaaS) customer service and ticketing solution to support public facing inquiries directed to the Learning & Development (L&D) Division. The solution must provide a centralized customer service portal and ticketing platform to manage requests received by telephone, email, or website form which can be directed to at least two different groups.

Specifications: The OIG seeks quotes from qualified vendors that provide a customer support SaaS platform offering the following functionalities:

Functional Requirements:

1. Platform Requirements:

• Cloud-based, web-based Software SaaS solution.

• Secure browser-based access.

• Support for multiple customer service accounts and shared inboxes (e.g., Procurement

Technical Support Line, OIG Training, and Ask OIG).

2. Customer Access & Engagement:

• Omnichannel support for customer inquiries, including web, email, phone, mobile, and other supported communication channels.

https://maoig.gov/oig-academy/

RFQ 2027.02- Customer Support System August 04, 2026

• Customer-facing portal integrated with the OIG website for submitting requests. The portal must be accessible from multiple locations throughout the OIG website and allow customers to select from different request categories based on their needs.

• Ability for customers to receive updates and communications regarding their requests.

• Customizable customer satisfaction surveys following ticket resolution.

3. Ticket & Workflow Management:

• Automatic ticket creation and lifecycle tracking.

• Ticket assignment, categorization, prioritization, and search.

• File attachments and internal staff notes.

• Configurable routing, notifications, escalations, and canned responses.

• Ability to configure workflows without vendor assistance.

5. Forms & Data Collection:

• Configurable forms and templates.

• Required fields, data validation, and standardized drop-down menus.

• Fixed field values (e.g., jurisdictions, request types) to support consistent reporting.

6. Reporting & Analytics:

• Configurable dashboards and real-time reporting.

• Key metrics, including response times, ticket volume, and customer satisfaction.

• Export to common formats (e.g., Excel, CSV, PDF).

7. Integrations:

• Integration with Microsoft Office Suite and the OIG phone system (Avaya) with transcription capabilities.

• Customer service form creation for public inquiries and functionality which fully integrates the Customer Support Software with the OIG website and auto-populates the intake form responses.

• Direct access to underlying database via API for data queries.

• API support (i.e., “Bring Your Own Model”) for integration of the OIG-managed AI chatbot.

• API integration capabilities for potential system applications, such as Power BI and

Learning Management System.

8. Security & Admin:

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO).

• Role-based user permissions.

• Audit logs and activity tracking.

• Administrative controls for managing users and permissions.

• Administrative ability to add additional field values and make template changes

9. Other:

• Knowledge Repository: Internal Searchable knowledge base for FAQs, guides, and reference materials for OIG staff to utilize.

Contract Term: The OIG prefers a three-year initial contract term, with optional renewal years at the OIG’s sole discretion.

Deadline for Responses: All responses are due by August 24, 2026, at 11:59 pm.

Please respond by email to: Marcelle Payen, Chief Fiscal Officer Email: rfr.responses@mass.gov

Vendor Questions and OIG Response: Vendors must submit any questions regarding this RFQ no later than August 10, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. The OIG anticipates responding to all questions by August 17, 2026.

Live Demonstrations: Following review of written responses, the OIG may, at its discretion, request vendors provide a live demonstration of their product. Vendors should be prepared to provide a live demonstration of all functions outlined above, as well as any additional features offered. Estimated timeline for scheduling demos will be from September 15, 2026, to September 23, 2026.

Best and Final Offer (BAFO) and Award: The OIG may provide some or all vendors with an opportunity to submit a Best and Final Offer (BAFO), in which the OIG asks vendors to reduce costs or provide additional clarification to their responses. Vendors are not required to submit a BAFO and declination to do so will not disqualify the response from consideration. The OIG may accept or reject any information submitted as part of the BAFO. The OIG anticipates awarding the contract on or about October 12, 2026.

Response & Evaluation Criteria: The OIG will award the contract to the vendor offering the best overall value. Vendor responses must include all the following:

1. A detailed written description of the SaaS Customer Support System product and specifications, including how the solution meets the functional requirements outlined in this RFQ.

2. An outline of vendor training and implementation plans.

3. The proposed contract term, including any optional renewal periods.

4. A detailed breakdown of costs for the contract term, as well as any optional renewal periods.

5. A written description of the vendor’s history of providing the services and qualifications.

6. Contact information for three individuals to serve as references.

The OIG will not accept any response that fails to include any of the above response requirements.

However, at the OIG’s sole discretion, the OIG may request clarification from, or waive minor informalities for, vendors that do not meet these requirements.

mailto:rfr.responses@mass.gov

Deadline for Implementation: The OIG prefers to have the product fully implemented as soon as possible. The implementation schedule will be negotiated between the OIG and selected vendor.

Invoices and Payment: The OIG will pay all invoices in accordance with the Commonwealth Bill Payment Policy.

Contract Documents: Following award of the bid, the selected vendor must complete the following forms, to be provided by the OIG:

1. OIG Confidentiality Agreement.

2. Statement of Work (SOW).

Billing Contact: Office of the Inspector General

Attn: Marcelle Payen, CFO 1 Ashburton Place, Room 1311

Boston, MA 02108 igo-admin_ap@mass.gov

This Request for Quotation (RFQ) does not commit the OIG to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of a bidder’s response to this RFQ, or to engage for products or services. The OIG reserves the right to accept or reject any and all quotes received as a result of this RFQ and to contract with some, all, or none of the responding vendors as a result of this RFQ. The OIG further reserves the right to negotiate with any or all responding vendors or to cancel this RFQ, in part or in its entirety, if it is in the best interest of the agency to do so.

https://public.powerdms.com/MAComptroller/documents/1779647 https://public.powerdms.com/MAComptroller/documents/1779647