VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE SOFTWARE SOLUTION

The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation for a comprehensive cloud-based virtual customer assistant (VCA) and virtual employee assistant (VEA) software solution. The procurement seeks a sophisticated software platform designed to automate multi-channel self-service capabilities across the SCDMV website and support 800+ customer service representatives with advanced knowledge base access. Key objectives include reducing contact center agent interactions by at least 20% within the first year, delivering consistent information across customer touchpoints, and providing comprehensive analytics through customizable dashboards. The solution must integrate with existing systems including Sitecore (Web Content Management System), Cisco Finesse (Contact Center platform), and Phoenix II (Line of Business Application), and utilize Microsoft technology platforms. Evaluation criteria include 16 functional areas weighted across technical and functionality categories, with vendors rated on capabilities in administration, workflow automation, security, processing, integration, and contextual awareness. The pre-proposal conference was scheduled for May 7, 2020, at 10:00 AM, with questions due by May 7, 2020, at 5:00 PM. Offers were originally due May 26, 2020, at 11:00 AM, with award notification planned for July 22, 2020, and contract commencement on August 1, 2020.

The solicitation did not specify specific set-aside designations for disadvantaged enterprises. The contract was structured with an initial one-year term and four potential one-year renewals, representing a maximum potential contract period of five years. The solution must be U.S.-based with English-language support, and providers must demonstrate compliance with comprehensive security requirements including AES-128 encryption, data isolation, and NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4 standards. While no specific budget range was explicitly stated, the procurement required vendors to provide a total cost of ownership for all five potential contract years, including initial design, development, installation, integration, and training costs for Year 1, as well as itemized annual recurring costs for Years 2-5. The solution must support approximately 13,782 daily calls with a busy hour volume of 1,621 calls and an average handle time of 3 minutes 53 seconds. Bilingual support in English and Spanish was required, with customizable natural language processing capabilities and single sign-on integration with Microsoft ADFS. Ultimately, the procurement was cancelled prior to award, with SCDMV determining that the software solution was no longer required at that time.