Student placement services (rebid)

The South Carolina State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education is procuring comprehensive diagnostic student placement testing services for its statewide technical college system through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP). The solicitation seeks an integrated, web-based assessment system capable of providing diagnostic pre-tests and normed assessments in English, mathematics, reading, and English as a Second Language (ESL) for 16 technical colleges. The desired solution must align with institutional course exit competencies, provide customized analytic testing, and comply with federal accessibility standards including ADA and Section 508 requirements. The estimated annual scope encompasses 99,201 student test administrations. Proposals were due by September 13, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. EST, with a non-mandatory pre-proposal conference held on August 26, 2021, via Zoom. The evaluation process will occur in two phases, with the first phase scoring technical proposals (50 points), vendor experience (30 points), and business proposal value (20 points), totaling 100 points. The top three responsive offerors will advance to a web-based demonstration phase, which can earn an additional 25 points, bringing the total possible score to 125 points.

No specific set-aside designations were mentioned in the solicitation documents. Offerors must demonstrate a minimum of five years' experience providing similar services to higher education institutions and must identify key personnel, relevant references, and any proposed subcontractors. The contract requires integration capabilities with Ellucian Colleague and Banner ERP systems and mandates compliance with information security, data protection standards, and FERPA regulations. The contract term will span an initial one-year period with four potential one-year renewals, running from October 27, 2021, to October 26, 2026. While specific budget ranges were not explicitly detailed, the RFP requires vendors to provide a comprehensive cost breakdown itemized by year for a turn-key automated student testing services software solution, with no additional charges permitted beyond the initial proposal. Prospective vendors must be prepared to provide a comprehensive, web-based testing platform that can handle large-scale diagnostic assessments across multiple technical colleges in South Carolina.