Financial oversight pilot-tech colleges

The South Carolina Department of Administration's Office of Technology & Information Services is seeking a Request for Information (RFI) for a Centralized Financial Oversight Overlay pilot program targeting the state's 16 technical colleges under Proviso 93.22. The procurement involves implementing a third-party software system that will operate above existing enterprise resource planning systems without major workflow disruptions. Key deliverables include a solution that standardizes naming conventions, employs AI-driven analytics to detect financial anomalies and compliance issues, and provides real-time aggregated data views for statewide financial oversight. The technical scope requires compatibility with existing Ellucian Colleague (12 institutions) and Ellucian Banner (4 institutions) ERP technologies, supporting SQL, Oracle, and Unidata databases. Specific evaluation criteria include the solution's ability to map diverse college-specific charts of accounts, comply with government accounting standards, support role-based access, and demonstrate potential for cost savings and transparency improvements. The RFI response deadline is November 25, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. EST, with vendor questions having been due by November 12, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST. The pilot is expected to be completed by June 30, 2026, with a subsequent legislative report on outcomes.

The RFI does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions on responding organizations. The state prefers Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions utilizing state-owned hosting resources or OTIS managed cloud services like Azure or AWS. Currently, the technical colleges use Ellucian Colleague and Banner systems, which will require API integration with the new overlay solution. No specific incumbent vendors are identified, and no legislative funds have been explicitly allocated for the pilot, making cost control a critical consideration. While no precise budget range is specified, the state emphasizes the need for cost-effective implementation, requesting vendors to provide good faith cost estimates and identify major cost drivers. The solution must exclusively use onshore resources and minimize training and implementation expenses. Success metrics will include net cost savings, financial transparency improvements, standardized naming conventions, anomaly detection capabilities, compliance identification, and the ability to support multi-campus comparisons and secure aggregated reporting for administrative oversight.