Financial data collection

The South Carolina Department of Education is requesting bids for a financial data collection and EDU-aligned analytics solution serving 71 Local Education Agencies across South Carolina, with offers due September 21, 2026 at 11:00 AM EST and questions due September 2, 2026.

Bidders must possess a South Carolina vendor number prior to submission. Required qualifications include at least two successful production implementations of the Ed-Fi Finance Domain using the Ed-Fi API, two successful dbt-based analytics implementations built on Ed-Fi-shaped data consistent with EDU modeling conventions, demonstrated compliance with PolyForm Non-Commercial license terms, experience integrating with statewide data collection platforms, and proficiency with role-based digital certification workflows in government fiscal-reporting contexts.

The solution must integrate with SCDE's Integrated Data Collection System (IDCS) as the sole authoritative intake mechanism, publish finance data to Ed-Fi ODS/API instances, and generate all financial reports and analytics exclusively from EDU-aligned (Enable Data Union) analytics structures. Critical deliverables include IDCS integration, Chart of Accounts management, Ed-Fi publication layers, validation engines, workflow systems, EDU analytics layers, standard financial reports (In$ite Financial Analysis, LARS, and ESSA Per-Pupil Expenditure Reporting), dashboards, audit compliance artifacts, training documentation, and a vendor certification framework. All reports and analytics must source exclusively from EDU-aligned data structures with no reliance on proprietary semantic layers or vendor-specific platforms to preserve SCDE's independence.

Security requirements mandate data encryption in transit and at rest, integration with SCDE's ClassLink Single Sign-On solution, role-based access controls, and comprehensive audit trails.

The contract term runs from October 17, 2026 through October 18, 2031, structured as a one-year initial term with four optional one-year renewal periods. Award notification is scheduled for September 25, 2026. The solicitation mandates a phased implementation approach with pilot testing involving two distinct participant groups—districts using Ed-Fi-compliant vendors and districts using file-upload submission processes—prior to statewide rollout.