Inbound Financial Aid Call Center Services

Tarrant County College District (TCCD) in Texas is issuing RFP #26-005 for Inbound Financial Aid Call Center Services, a comprehensive procurement seeking qualified vendors to operate an inbound call center supporting student financial aid inquiries across a multi-campus environment. The District projects approximately 70,000 inbound calls annually, with required service hours Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time during non-summer months, extended hours during summer (mid-May through end of July), and Saturday coverage during peak terms. Key deliverables include responsive, accurate, secure, and compliant customer support with specific performance standards requiring contractors to answer at least 80 percent of calls within 60 seconds while maintaining an abandoned-call rate not exceeding 5 percent. Prospective vendors must demonstrate at least three years of experience in higher education inbound student service or financial aid call center operations, capability to support Ellucian Colleague systems, FERPA compliance and robust data security controls, ability to maintain adequate staffing during peak periods, and structured implementation and training support. The evaluation criteria weights pricing at 30 percent using a relative cost comparison formula, Firm Qualifications and Relevant Experience at 15 percent, Technical Approach and Scope at 25 percent, Staffing, Training, and Service Delivery Model at 10 percent, Performance Standards and Quality Assurance at 10 percent, and Data Security and Compliance at 10 percent. The RFP was released on April 24, 2026, with written questions due by May 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CT; proposals must be submitted electronically via the Bonfire platform by May 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. CT, with vendor demonstrations scheduled for June 8-12, 2026, and proposals must remain valid for a minimum of 180 days following submission.

The RFP includes no identified set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises or restrictions on organizational eligibility, allowing all qualified vendors to compete on equal footing. The resulting contract will be for an initial two-year period with options to extend for three additional one-year terms upon mutual agreement, plus potential month-to-month extensions not to exceed three months, providing flexibility for both parties. All successful bidders must comply with Texas House Bill 1295 disclosure requirements by submitting Form 1295 (Certificate of Interested Parties) within two days of notification as the apparent lower bidder and must maintain comprehensive insurance coverage including Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence, Automobile Liability of $500,000 combined single limit, and Workers' Compensation with statutory limits. The cost proposal requires vendors to submit one-time implementation fees if applicable, annual fixed pricing for both years of the initial contract term, annual pricing for each of three optional renewal years, and monthly rates for potential extensions, with all pricing to include labor, management, software/system access, training, reporting, and all other necessary costs; however, the specific budget range or award value is not disclosed in the available RFP documents.