IPAS SYSTEM (REBID)

The Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) is seeking a cloud-based, vendor-hosted Integrated Planning and Advising Services (IPAS) system through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP 5400020195). The procurement aims to improve student success through a comprehensive solution that includes enhanced onboarding, career exploration, academic planning, early intervention capabilities, and advanced data analytics. The system must support TCL's approximately 3,345 annual students across three campuses, with requirements for predictive analytics, mobile applications, and comprehensive case management features. Vendors were required to submit separate technical and business proposals electronically, with redacted versions, through the SCEIS system. The original proposal deadline was August 24, 2020, with questions accepted until August 14, 2020. Evaluation criteria were prioritized as follows: technical solution quality, vendor qualifications and experience, cost and total cost of ownership, and implementation schedule and support. The procurement process included a unique Phase I evaluation where the three highest-scoring offerors would be invited to provide live WebEx demonstrations of their technical capabilities.

The solicitation did not explicitly outline specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises. TCL currently uses Ellucian Colleague for administrative functions and Blackboard for learning management, so the selected vendor must provide robust integration capabilities with these existing systems. The college anticipated 10-15 full access users, 100-200 limited access users, and 25 chat users for the new system. While a specific budget was not disclosed publicly, the project was being funded through Title III funds. The contract term was structured for one year with four potential one-year renewal options, creating a maximum potential contract duration of five years. The initial contract period was set to run from October 6, 2020, to October 5, 2025. Pricing requirements mandated itemized costs for software access, implementation services, integration, configuration, training, travel expenses, and annual recurring maintenance and upgrade costs, with all pricing to be submitted as actual dollar amounts. The procurement was notably a rebid, following no responses to the original RFP posting.