Virtual experiential learning platform

The State Fiscal Accountability Authority, Division of Procurement Services, is requesting proposals on behalf of the University of South Carolina for a Virtual Experiential Learning Platform under RFP, with proposals due August 13, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET and a pre-proposal conference held July 2, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET via Microsoft Teams. Questions were due July 6, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The platform must deliver a fully digital, credit-bearing experiential learning program with 100% online content (synchronous and asynchronous) designed to prepare students for success through real-world project work with renowned companies and international collaboration among participants from over 100 universities. The platform must incorporate Shopify, Tableau, Python, and OpenAI tools and support specialized tracks in emerging technology fields. Implementation scope includes the College of Information and Communications at the Columbia Campus and USC Aiken. Target go-live is January 1, 2027.

All offerors must register as a South Carolina vendor, provide evidence of insurance with minimum limits of $5 million per occurrence and $10 million aggregate, obtain SOC2 certification or equivalent security documentation, submit a Service Provider Security Assessment Questionnaire response, and provide a sample Master Services Agreement.

The maximum contract period is five years: an initial three-year term plus two optional one-year renewal terms. Offerors must submit fixed-price proposals covering all costs for the full potential contract period; pricing terms and discount structures are at the offeror's discretion. The University reserves the right to use the resulting contract for additional departments, divisions, and campuses.

Evaluation occurs in two phases. Phase I (80 points total) assesses technical solution and methodology (35 points), qualifications and experience (25 points), and value (20 points). The three highest-ranked offerors with a mathematical possibility of achieving the highest score advance to Phase II, where they demonstrate their proposed solution and are evaluated on overall proposed solution (20 points). Award notification is scheduled for November 5, 2026.