Request for Proposals
Issue Date: September 30, 2016
RFP Number: VCCS-ASR-17-124
Title: Online Admissions Application
Commodity Code: 92003: Application Service Provider
20832: Customer Relationship Management Software
20800: Computer Software for Microcomputers (Preprogrammed)
Issuing Agency: Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia Community College System
Strategic Sourcing
300 Arboretum Place, Suite 370
Richmond, VA 23236
Initial Period of Contract: Two (2) years (negotiable), with renewal options available as indicated.
Proposals will Be Received Until: November 1, 2016 at 2:00 PM local time.
All proposals must be received SEALED by the date and time shown on the cover page of this solicitation at the following address. Any proposals received after the stated time and date will not be considered.
Pre-Proposal Conference: In lieu of a pre-proposal conference, potential offerors may submit questions in writing to the email address below no later than 4:00 PM local time on October 14, 2016. The following Subject line must be used in the email “VCCS-ASR-17-124– QUESTIONS” for any submitted questions. The VCCS may issue addenda to the solicitation if needed.
Any inquiries regarding this solicitation should be directed only to: Michele Skaggs, VCCS Assistant Procurement Director
Email: Phone: (804) 819-4965 Fax: (804) 819-4764
IF PROPOSALS ARE MAILED, SEND DIRECTLY TO ISSUING AGENCY SHOWN ABOVE.
IF PROPOSALS ARE HAND DELIVERED, DELIVER TO: Address Shown Above during normal business hours
In compliance with this request for proposals and to all the conditions imposed therein and hereby incorporated by reference, the undersigned offers and agrees to furnish the goods/services in accordance with the attached signed proposal or as mutually agreed upon by subsequent negotiation.
Name and Address of Firm:
Date:
By:
Signature in Ink
Name/Title:
eVA Vendor ID number: Vendor SCC ID Number:
Vendor DUNS Number: Telephone Number:
DSBSD Certification Number: Email:
Note: This public body does not discriminate against faith-based organizations in accordance with the Code of Virginia, Section 2.2-4343.1 or against an offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other basis prohibited by state law relating to discrimination in employment.
I. PURPOSE
The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) seeks proposals from qualified firms to provide a customized technology solution, provide project management through the implementation process, and provide ongoing maintenance, support and licensing for an Online Admissions Application System for the VCCS and its 23 community colleges.
II. BACKGROUND
The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is an open access set of 23 colleges. As a result, the VCCS has no application fee and the ability for a student to easily apply at any time, from any place, while limiting barriers for enrollment is critical. Our students come from a diverse set of backgrounds and educational level, so an application that has an intuitive and easy to understand design is key. Students who start the VCCS online application complete it at a high rate, though about 8,000-10,000 students a year are lost between account creation and completion. However, students who complete the application have less than a 50% enrollment rate at their chosen college. The VCCS wishes to create a new online application to improve several critical issues in the current native application. We would like an updated, modern interface and design that includes customized applicant communication methods. The overall goals are raising application completion rates, applicant satisfaction, and subsequent enrollment yield. Also, of concern is the ability to effectively and easily modify the application specifics, on an as needed basis by VCCS personnel. Additionally, security and reduction of fraudulent applications is a primary need for the new application.
You can find the current VCCS application here: https://apply.vccs.edu/
III. STATEMENT OF NEEDS
The VCCS seeks to procure and implement a fully integrated Application for Admission. Offerors may propose a single application, multiple integrated applications, or multiple integrated applications interfaced with one or more existing VCCS systems. The proposed solution must meet all required functionality specified for the project in this RFP. The requirements outlined will be required as part of the solution regardless of the software configuration being proposed. The Offeror’s responses to requirements should address all components outlined in the Statement of Needs including all requirements, implementation complexity, project management, associated level of effort, and all deliverables required to meet the functional, management and technical requirements specified.
A. Business Requirements
The VCCS objective is to create a new online application to improve several critical issues in the current homegrown application. Our goal is to provide an updated, modern interface and design, raise application completion rates, improve satisfaction, and increase subsequent enrollment. The solution should include the ability to effectively and easily modify the application on an as-need basis by VCCS personnel, provide reporting and outreach tools, and maintain a secure environment to protect authentication and prevent fraudulent application submissions.
The proposed solution must fully integrate with PeopleSoft SIS to include 12 components, EAD, triggers, and Search/Match at or near real-time. See Attachment 7 – VCCS Technical Requirements for additional specifications.
1. Design
The VCCS consists of 23 colleges which also require the ability to manage applications at the institutional level. While maintaining a consistent, modern look and feel, each college should have the ability to customize the application to reflect their culture, logo, and environment.
i. Provide a link to a demonstration site or detailed screenshots that illustrate your solution’s interface and design
ii. Describe your solution’s ability to customize application design per college while still operating inside a standardized system-wide application interface.
iii. Describe the ability of your solution to use branching logic (if/then programming) to customize application questions based on applicant answers during the application process.
iv. Describe the options VCCS staff (and college staff, if applicable) will have to easily update questions and other application design elements in your product.
2. Accessibility
Providing an environment for all potential students that limit barriers to entry and success is critical. Any proposed solution must be fully ADA-Accessible.
i. Describe how you will ensure and maintain compliance with Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Commonwealth of Virginia Information Technology Accessibility Standard (ITRM) Standard GOV103-00, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.0, Conformance Level AA?
ii. Describe how your solution utilizes an adaptive design, i.e. adapts to any device used, including, but not limited to mobile.
iii. Describe how the proposed solution provides application compatibility with all browsers, internet connection speeds, and device types?
3. Functionality
Any proposed solution must provide functionality that aligns with the goal of raising application completion rates, increasing applicant satisfaction, and increasing subsequent enrollment yield. The solution must also provide a secure environment in which students may submit applications, allow for the ability to effectively and efficiently modify the application specifics by VCCS personnel, and prevent fraudulent applications.
i. Describe how your solution supports the application needs of an open access set of colleges with college-specific programs serving a diverse population with varying educational and cultural backgrounds.
ii. Describe options to create subprogram applications that may have more extensive questions/requirements than the standard application for admission by college.
iii. Describe any options to utilize social media information to pre-populate application information. (ex. Facebook, LinkedIn, Google).
iv. Describe any processes or methodologies available to allow applicants to apply to multiple colleges in the VCCS in one submission, including choosing varying programs per college?
v. Describe the process for which students may upload documents when submitting their application?
vi. Describe how the proposed solution would integrate with VA Education Wizard for purposes of pre-populating student data directly into the application, including student program choices from the Wizard? For reference, visit the website at https://www.vawizard.org/wizard/home.
vii. Describe your ability for college staff to enter offline/paper applications submitted to the local college directly into your application system.
viii. What is the process and methodology to ensure that applications are valid requests to apply to the college? Describe authentication procedures to prevent fraudulent application submissions.
4. Reporting
In order to continually improve the application experience for our students, the VCCS is interested in analyzing data such as completion percentages, demographics, and interest. Reports provide key information to help improve the application process as well as create outreach opportunities to assist the student populations.
i. Describe reporting and/or data analytics options available for your solution.
ii. In accordance with § 23.2.2:1 of the Code of Virginia, the name, date of birth, gender and student identification number must be submitted to the Virginia State Police. Describe the process of providing standard daily reports of applicants and transmission to the Virginia State Police as required.
5. Customer Relations Management
The proposed technology solution should be designed to allow easy access for VCCS staff and potential students to communicate, in order to have a more positive application experience. The ability to reach out to students who have questions, who fail to complete an application, or submit inquiries is critical to establishing a relationship and assisting students in their journey.
i. Describe any outreach options available to communicate with students upon application submission and/or for applicants who have incomplete applications.
ii. Describe any options available for an Inquiry/Interest “mini-app” to be used as a Customer Relations Management tool?
iii. Describe your customer support options for application completion issues experienced by applicants.
iv. Describe any other customer relations management tools available.
B. Project Management Methodology and Governance Requirements
The contractor shall employ a formal project management methodology for the execution of the project. As a member of the Project Management Team, the contractor shall develop and present management reports for effective execution and monitoring of scope, schedule, budget, organizational change, and risk for the project. VCCS currently uses SharePoint Project website for project management functions such as documentation sharing, issue tracking, risk management and other project collaboration activities requested by the VCCS Program Management Office.
All activities of the project shall be integrated, executed, monitored, controlled, closed, and documented as specified in the Project Management Plan (PMP). The PMP must be developed and documented by the contractor at the direction of the VCCS Project Manager with the members of the Project Team and approved by the VCCS Project Sponsor and Steering Committee. The PMP shall be a comprehensive project management document that incorporates all contractor and VCCS activities, deliverables, and processes essential for the successful implementation of the project.
1. Project Scope
The project scope management plan should define, document, and control all work that is included in the project. The plan should define all of the processes and templates necessary to control changes to project scope and formal acceptance all completed project deliverables.
i. Describe the processes and templates used to control changes to project scope.
ii. Describe the process for acceptance criteria for completed deliverables.
2. Project Budget
The project budget plan defines the funding required to complete the defined project activities within a specified time period in relation to the estimated task durations, assigned resources, project risk, and quality management. This component of the PMP will allow actual costs to be compared and measured against the baseline project budget.
i. Describe the process and templates used to manage the project budget as it relates to tasks, resources, and risk and quality management.
3. Project Schedule
The project schedule management plan establishes the format and criteria for developing and controlling the project schedule for the project. Development of the project schedule includes defining required activities and analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constraints to create the project schedule.
i. Describe the process, tools and template used to manage the project schedule.
ii. Describe the process, tools and templates used to document and report changes to the project schedule, including methodologies to ensure that the project is completed on schedule.
iii. Provide an estimated timeline for project implementation with the assumption that work begins at ‘Day Zero’.
4. Experience, Resources, and Staffing
The project resource management and staffing plans define the human resources and non-labor resources needed to successfully complete the project and the processes for managing these resources. The contractor must provide all resources and staffing to effectively develop, implement, and manage the project. Any changes or modifications of staff to the project must possess, at a minimum, the level of education and experience proposed for the tasks assigned. Any changes or modifications to resources or staffing must be reviewed and accepted by the VCCS.
i. Provide documentation of projects successfully completed of similar size and scope as the proposed solution.
ii. Provide resumes of the project management team to include experience on projects of similar size and scope.
iii. Provide an organization chart proposed for the project management team.
iv. Describe the methodology for managing changes to resources and staff.
v. Describe the approach for the development, maintenance, and reporting of resources and staff assigned or allocated to the project.
vi. Describe the level of resources and staff that the VCCS will be expected to maintain during implementation and post-implementation activities.
5. Risk Management
The project risk management component will define how the project team responds to and manages risk to the project scope, schedule, and budget throughout the execution of the project.
i. Describe the methodology used to identify, monitor and manage risk to the project scope, schedule and budget.
ii. Describe the processes and provisions to perform qualitative and quantitative risk analysis and responses to the results.
iii. Provide any documentation of results from research and prior risk response measures.
6. Enterprise System Go-Live
Planning and preparation for successful go-live date(s) must integrate final preparation activities from all project areas to ensure readiness of the organization and application. These final preparation activities will be planned and documented in a system Go-Live Plan at a detailed level.