AI-powered cloud based chatbot solution

Coastal Carolina University (CCU) is seeking an AI-powered cloud-based chatbot solution through a Request for Proposal issued by the State of South Carolina's Procurement Services Division. The comprehensive conversational AI system is designed to support student services across multiple departments, including admissions, financial aid, student accounts, course registration, academic advising, campus services, and technical support. The solution must integrate with existing systems such as Ellucian Colleague, Slate, TouchNet, Raiser's Edge, Starez, and Paclion, and be deployable across multiple channels including the university website, mobile applications, email, SMS, phone systems, and social media platforms. The chatbot must comply with WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards, support multiple languages, and include live agent escalation capabilities. The procurement timeline includes a question submission deadline of December 11, 2024, at 3:00 PM EST, with proposals originally due January 8, 2025 (extended to January 16, 2025, at 11:00 AM EST). The evaluation process will be conducted in two phases, with the first phase scoring proposed solutions (45 points), qualifications and experience (35 points), and pricing (20 points), and the top three ranked offerors invited to demonstrate their products in a second phase.

The solicitation does not specify any specific set-aside designations or restrictions on respondent types, though it prohibits offshore contracting per Clause 07-7B122-1. No incumbent vendor is explicitly mentioned, and the university has not conducted previous formal pilots or proofs of concept. The solution must be hosted within the Continental United States and utilize Azure or SAML-compatible single sign-on authentication. While no predefined budget is established, the university estimates between 1,500 to 3,000 monthly inquiries across existing channels. The contract will have an initial three-year term with two optional one-year renewals, potentially running from March 15, 2025, to March 14, 2030. Vendors must provide comprehensive documentation including a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, references from clients within the past two years (with preference given to higher education experience), and must submit responses online at www.procurement.sc.gov. All offers must remain valid for a minimum of 120 calendar days following the opening date, with implementation targeted for summer 2025, initially focusing on the Office of Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and Housing departments.