ISAC - Electronic Transcript Services - Sole Economically Feasible Source

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is pursuing a sole source procurement for electronic transcript services from Parchment, an Instructure Company. The contract will provide a comprehensive electronic transcript exchange platform enabling high schools to electronically submit student transcripts to colleges, universities, and other organizations nationwide. Key deliverables include processing approximately 220,000 e-transcript requests annually across over 400 Illinois high schools, with capabilities for multiple credential type integration and both electronic and print/mail delivery options. The procurement requires a vendor with Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council Seal of Approval for High School Transcript XML standards and the ability to implement services within a two-week timeline. Critical procurement dates include a public hearing scheduled for January 15, 2025, with a deadline for written comments or hearing requests by January 10, 2025, at 4:00 PM. The procurement notice was posted on December 27, 2024, with a contract period from February 1, 2025, through January 31, 2026. Evaluation criteria focused on comprehensive service capabilities, technical infrastructure, implementation speed, and ability to meet specific transcript exchange standards.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises were explicitly detailed in the procurement documents. The incumbent vendor is Parchment, which has continuously provided these services to ISAC since 2011, with previous contract values ranging from $280,965 to $2,961,688. The current contract is valued at $572,250, negotiated down from an initial quote of $583,150 and funded through State Appropriation Funds. Parchment was selected after evaluating alternatives including MHEC, Need My Transcript, Scribbles, and National Student Clearinghouse. The existing technological infrastructure is extensive, with Parchment already integrated with over 400 Illinois high schools and possessing a unique position as the only vendor offering a complete system meeting all required technical standards. ISAC intends to pursue a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process in the subsequent procurement cycle, indicating this sole source award is intended as a bridge to a more competitive future procurement.