RFP: virtual job fair

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) numbered 5400020746 for a comprehensive virtual job fair platform designed to connect employers and job seekers in a digital environment. The procurement seeks a web-based solution that supports ten primary and ten secondary account holders, with SCDC serving as the primary administrator. The platform must enable interactions through chat rooms, web-chats, webcasts, webinars, and email, facilitating job opportunity exchanges. Mandatory technical requirements include web-based accessibility without software downloads, mobile-friendly design compatible with smartphones and tablets, unlimited employer and job seeker registrations, real-time survey capabilities, and comprehensive reporting functionality. The evaluation process will occur in two phases, with Phase I assessing proposals based on virtual job fair solution, reporting capability, experience, and price, and Phase II requiring the top two ranked offerors to conduct live virtual demonstrations. The RFP was originally issued on January 5, 2020, with proposal submissions due by February 2, 2021, at 10:00 a.m., and questions from potential offerors required to be submitted by January 15, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. The contract term is one year with one potential one-year renewal, for a maximum contract duration of two years, with implementation expected within 3-4 weeks after contract award.

No specific set-aside designations or restrictions for disadvantaged enterprises were identified in the documentation. The RFP does not mention incumbent vendors or existing technological infrastructure requiring integration. Vendors must provide detailed pricing structures including year-by-year costs for software licensing, hosting, staff and user training, annual software maintenance, and total project costs for the two-year potential contract period. Technical support requirements are stringent, mandating response times of 48 hours for first-level issues, 24 hours for second-level issues, and 1-2 hours for third-level issues, with full resolution expected within 24 hours. The platform must also provide virtual training and customer service through webinars, videos, and handouts, and immediately implement security patches for any identified vulnerabilities. While specific budget ranges were not explicitly stated, the comprehensive technical requirements and multi-phase evaluation process suggest a robust and potentially significant investment in a sophisticated virtual job fair platform. Award notifications were originally scheduled for February 15, 2021, with a subsequent extension to April 7, 2021, to allow additional review time.