Captioning services

The South Carolina Department of Education is requesting bids for captioning services under IFB 5400030117, with bids due October 12, 2026 and questions due September 8, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. An in-state vendor preference under South Carolina Code Section 11-35-1524 applies, though specific preference percentages are not detailed.

The scope covers human-captioned transcription, closed captioning, and searchable metadata extraction for recorded webinars, training sessions, and promotional videos serving approximately 750,000 students and 60,000 educators across 1,200 schools statewide. The vendor must accept multiple digital formats (MOV, WMV, M4V, AVI, FLV, MPEG-2, MPEG-4) and deliver captions via secure file transfer or common platforms (Dropbox, Google Drive, YouTube) with output compatible with YouTube and social media. Services must include English, Spanish, French, German, and ASL captioning with hybrid language options, all delivered with 99% accuracy within 48 hours of file transmission. All services must comply with ADA/508/CVAA standards and current FCC rules.

Pricing is quoted as a fixed dollar amount per human-captioned minute, with 12,000 minutes per year used for evaluation purposes; the SCDE reserves the right to increase or decrease minute usage. The contract runs from November 3, 2026 through November 4, 2031 — a one-year initial term with four optional one-year renewal periods. The vendor must maintain liability insurance with limits no less than $1 million per occurrence, sign an SCDE nondisclosure agreement, and provide technical support within specified hours. Award notification is scheduled for October 21, 2026. Vendor registration with the state is mandatory prior to bid submission, and bidding occurs online through the South Carolina procurement portal.