THIRD PARTY FINANCIAL AID SERVICES

The State of South Carolina's State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education, specifically Northeastern Technical College (NETC), is soliciting bids for comprehensive third-party financial aid services through the State Fiscal Accountability Authority's Division of Procurement Services. The procurement seeks a contractor to provide end-to-end financial aid support, including back-office processing, verification processing, C-code clearance, Return to Title IV (R2T4) completion, monthly reconciliation, and both remote and on-site support. Key deliverables include daily COD processing, FISAP compliance, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) evaluations, Title IV issue assistance, student award processing, aid authorization, balance report review, and Ellucian Software troubleshooting. The contractor must work within NETC's existing Ellucian Colleague system, communicate with students via email, letter, and phone, and handle approximately 1,200 emails and 4,100 yearly phone calls. Bidders must submit proposals online by June 19, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. EST, with questions due by May 30, 2023. The contract is structured for an initial one-year term with four potential one-year renewals, with an estimated start date of July 12, 2023, and end date of July 11, 2028.

The solicitation does not specify explicit set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. The incumbent vendor is FA Solutions, which has been invited to rebid. The contractor must provide their own laptop and will receive VPN access from NETC, with strict requirements for data security and FERPA compliance. Insurance requirements are comprehensive, mandating Commercial General Liability ($1 million per occurrence), Automobile Liability ($1 million per accident), Workers Compensation (statutory limits), and Information Security and Privacy insurance ($5 million per occurrence, $10 million aggregate). The contractor will work alongside four existing NETC staff members and must handle accounts with approximately 40-45% C-Codes. While no specific budget range is provided, the contractor must submit pricing for each of the five potential contract years, with unit prices inclusive of all necessary services. Offerors must have a South Carolina vendor number and demonstrate compliance with federal and state labor standards, including a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.