STUDENT PLACEMENT TESTING SERVICE

The South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking a comprehensive diagnostic student placement testing service for 16 technical colleges statewide. The solicitation requires an integrated, web-based assessment system for placing students into developmental and college-level courses in English, mathematics, reading, and English as a Second Language (ESL). The estimated annual testing volume is 99,201 student assessments, with participation being voluntary for individual colleges. Vendors must provide a turn-key software solution with fixed pricing for a five-year contract period from August 20, 2021, to August 19, 2026. Key deliverables include a web-based testing platform with normed assessments, customized adaptive testing, ADA and Section 508 compliance, and integration with Ellucian Colleague and Banner ERP systems. The evaluation process involves a two-phase approach, with initial scoring based on technical proposals (50 points), vendor experience (30 points), and business proposal value (20 points), totaling 100 points. Top three offerors will advance to a demonstration phase, with an additional 25 points available. Important dates include a non-mandatory pre-bid conference on June 22, 2021, question submissions due by June 15, 2021, proposal due date of July 13, 2021, and award notification scheduled for August 10, 2021.

The RFP does not specify explicit set-aside designations or restrictions for specific enterprise types. Vendors must demonstrate at least five years of experience providing similar placement testing services to higher education institutions and provide evidence of current contracts, implementation history, references, and financial documentation. Technical requirements include being an approved Ability-to-Benefit assessment partner by the U.S. Department of Education, offering technical support from 7 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday with a one-hour response time, and maintaining comprehensive data security and FERPA compliance procedures. Notably, the solicitation resulted in no initial award, with a "No Award" document indicating that no offers were received, necessitating re-solicitation. The contract requires that no portion of performance may occur outside the continental United States, and all meetings will be conducted virtually. While specific budget ranges are not explicitly stated, the RFP indicates that contractors providing cost or pricing data will be required if the total contract price exceeds $500,000 or any modification exceeds $100,000.