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8. Proposal Addenda and Rule for WithdrawalPrior to the deadline date specified for receipt of proposals, a proposal may be withdrawn bysubmitting a written request for its withdrawal to the address listed. Unless requested by theCollege, it will not accept any addenda, revisions, or alterations to proposals after the proposaldue date. Any submitted proposal shall remain valid for six (6) months after the proposal duedate.9.Rejection of Non-Responsive ProposalsProposals shall be considered non-responsive if they contain omissions, alterations of unacceptableconditions or limitations, or other irregularities of any kind. Jefferson State may reject proposalsconsidered non-responsive.10. Oral CommitmentsPotential vendors should clearly understand that any verbal representations made or assumedto be made during any oral discussions held between representatives of potential vendors andany Jefferson State Community College personnel are not binding on Jefferson StateCommunity College, unless confirmed in writing by Ann Cimalore.Any oral clarifications of substance shall be reduced in writing by the proposer when requestedby JEFFERSON STATE.11. Offer of GratuitiesBy submission of a proposal, the proposer certifies that no official or employee of the Collegehas or will benefit financially or materially from this contract. The contract may be terminatedby the College if it is determined that gratuities of any kind were either offered to, or receivedby, any official or employee of the Community College from the potential vendor, his agent,or employees.12. Vendor Presentation/DemonstrationVendors who submit a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal will be required to makea presentation/demonstration of their proposal based on selection by Jefferson State CommunityCollege. Only those vendors selected by Jefferson State Community College will be required topresent. These presentations and demonstrations must show the College the "live" systemfunctioning on a computer-based system. It cannot consist of a demonstration not actually runningon a computer system. For example, a simple PowerPoint presentation will not be sufficient. Thedemonstration must actually exercise the system in real-time via connection to a vendor suppliedhosted software solution. The presentation/demonstration may use vendor data of their ownchoosing.9

13. Restrictions on Communicating with Community College StaffFrom the issue date of the Request for Proposal, until a Contractor is selected, andselection is announced, vendors are not allowed to communicate with any College staff.Questions will only be answered by e-mail. Please email to acimalore@jeffersonstate.eduby September 14, 2021.The College shall reserve the right to reject a proposal for violation of this provision.14. RFP AddendaAddenda to this Request for Proposal may be necessary prior to the closing date andwill be furnished by email to all prospective vendors. Failure to acknowledge receiptof addenda in accordance with instructions contained in the addendum may result inthe proposal not being considered. No changes 24 hours before opening date.15. Compliance with the LawContractor shall comply with all applicable laws, ordinances, rules and regulationsrelating to the Services provided under this Agreement.16. InsolvencyIn addition to all other rights herein, either party hereto may terminate this Agreementwithout prior notice should the other party become insolvent, voluntarily file forbankruptcy or receivership, or make any assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shouldthe other party have commenced against it any proceeding, suit or action in bankruptcy orreceivership provided such proceeding, suit or action is not dismissed within thirty (30)days.JEFFERSON STATE's financial status depends directly upon appropriations from the Stateof Alabama. Therefore, this agreement, and its continuation, is hereby expressly madecontingent upon JEFFERSON STATE actually receiving from the State of Alabama anappropriation in sufficient amount so as to allow JEFFERSON STATE to meet its financialobligations. Such determination shall be made solely by JEFFERSON STATE and suchdetermination shall be final and binding upon both parties. If at any time JEFFERSONSTATE shall determine that its appropriation is not adequate to allow it to meet itsobligations, then in such event JEFFERSON STATE shall be allowed to terminate thisAgreement, upon 90 days written notice to Contractor, with all other termination and finalsettlement provisions remaining applicable hereto.10

17. Trade Secrets and Proprietary InformationDuring the term of this Agreement, Contractor and College may have access to certainproprietary materials of each other. In the case of Contractor, proprietary informationshall include management guidelines and procedures, faculty data, student data, staffdata, operating manuals, and similar compilations regularly used in Contractor'sbusiness operations ("Trade Secrets"). Neither College nor Contractor shall discloseany of the other party's Trade Secrets or other proprietary information, directly orindirectly, during or after the term of this Agreement. The parties shall not photocopyor otherwise duplicate any such material without the prior written consent of theoriginator. All Trade Secrets and other proprietary information shall remain theexclusive property of its originator and shall be returned thereto immediately upontermination of this Agreement.As a reminder, all student data must be protected under the provisions of FERPA (FamilyEducational Rights and Privacy Act). The successful vendor must demonstrate the securitymechanisms in place to protect against data loss or security breaches. Also, evidence ofFERPA training and certification of all vendor employees servicing the JEFFERSON STATEaccount must be provided prior to contract initiation.18. AssignmentThis Agreement, or any portion thereof, may not be assigned by either party without the writtenconsent of the other.19. CatastropheNeither Contractor nor JEFFERSON STATE shall be liable for failure to perform its respectiveobligations hereunder when such failure is caused by fire, explosion, water, act of God, civildisorder or disturbance, strikes, vandalism, war, sabotage, weather and energy related closings,governmental rules or regulations, failure of third parties to perform their obligations withrespect to the Services, or like causes beyond the reasonable control of such party, or for real orpersonal property or damage due to such causes.It is required by the College that the successful vendor speak to their disaster recovery/backupmethodology in order for the vendor supplied contact center to remain operational in a disastersituation. The College requires that the vendor demonstrate routine exercise of their disasterrecovery plan and provide reports to the Community College of those exercises. Failure to provideadequate disaster recovery/backup mechanisms in order to mitigate vendor downtime could resultin the termination of the contract by JEFFERSON STATE should the deficiency not be corrected.Remediation of the disaster recovery/backup facilities would be required in a mutually agreed totime frame by the vendor and Community College.11

20. SeverabilityIf any term or provision of this Agreement or the application hereof to any person orcircumstance shall, to any extent or for any reason be invalid or unenforceable, the remainderof this Agreement and the application of such term or provision to any person or circumstanceother than those as to which it is held invalid or unenforceable shall not be affected thereby,and each remaining term and provision of this Agreement shall be valid and enforceable to thefullest extent permitted by law.21. Amendments to AgreementAll provisions of this Agreement shall remain in effect throughout the term hereof unless theparties agree, in a written document signed by both parties, to amend, add or delete anyprovision. This Agreement contains all agreements of the parties with respect to matterscovered herein, superseding any prior agreements and may not be changed other than by anagreement in writing signed by the parties hereto.22. Entire AgreementThis Agreement and its attachments and other documents specifically incorporated byreference herein contains the entire understanding and agreement of the parties concerning thematters contained herein and supersedes and replaces any prior or contemporaneous oral or writtencontracts or communications concerning the matters contained herein.23. Additional TermsAny contract awarded under this request or proposal shall include the following additional termsand conditions:The following provisions shall take precedence over any and all contrary or conflictingprovisions of the agreement between the parties and shall govern the rights andobligations of the parties:This agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State ofAlabama without giving effect to any choice or conflict of laws, provisions, or rules (whether ofthe State of Alabama or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws ofany jurisdiction other than those of the State of Alabama.It is further agreed that the terms and commitments contained herein shall not constitute a debt of theState of Alabama in violation of Section 213 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended byAmendment Number 26. If any provision of this agreement shall contravene any statute orconstitutional provision, either now in effect or which may be enacted during the term of thisagreement, then the conflicting provision of this agreement shall be deemed null and void. Contractorunderstands, acknowledges, and agrees that its sole and exclusive remedy for any claim which mayarise from or relate to this agreement is to file a claim with the Board of Adjustment of the State ofAlabama.12

By signing this contract, the contracting parties affirm for the duration of this agreement, thatthey will not violate federal immigration law or knowingly employ, hire, for employment, orcontinue to employ an unauthorized alien within the State of Alabama. Furthermore, a contractingparty found to be in violation of this provision shall be deemed in breach of this agreement andshall be responsible for all damages resulting there from.This agreement constitutes the sole and entire agreement of the parties to this agreement withrespect to the subject matter contained herein, and supersedes all prior and contemporaneousunderstandings, negotiations, and agreements, both oral and written, with respect to such subjectmatter.In accordance with the recommendations of the Governor and the Attorney General of the State ofAlabama, the parties shall consider settling all disputes arising from or related to this agreementby using appropriate forms of non-binding alternative dispute resolution.In the event of proration of the fund from which payment under which this agreement is to bemade, the agreement will be subject to termination.This agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed and original, butall of which together shall be deemed to be one and the same agreement.13

Response FormatJefferson State Community CollegeContact Center ServicesProposals shall be submitted in the format contained in the Request for Proposal. This materialmust be in sequence and related to the Request for Proposal. The College will make noreimbursement for the cost of developing or presenting proposals in response to this Request. Onlyinformation specifically related to this type of project will be e valuated. Proposals must presentthe following information.Section A: Company Profile: A brief narrative describing the company's history, corporate resources,management team, company philosophy, approach to providing services,qualifications, higher education experience, total number of years in business, relevantexperience and benefit JEFFERSON STATE will receive through contracting with thefirm.The College requires a listing of all higher education institutions served that aresimilar in demographics and multi-campus education delivery. In addition, at leastthree account references from this list should be included that contains liaisonnames, telephone numbers, physical addresses, email addresses, and a descriptionof services provided, and dates of the services.Section B: System Features: A complete description of the contact center services, and all of thefeatures of the center should be included. The services available and described canextend beyond the requested services in this proposal.Section C: Secure Contact Center Hosting Facility Profile: Physical location of contact center site,number of years in business, number of clienteles housed in this location, emergencypreparedness/disaster recovery methodology and plan, detailed schematic ofinfrastructure and fail-over sites.Section D: Callability: Methodology employed by the facility/vendor used to address peak times orcyclical trends related to high-volume, high-access call volume. Also, costs associatedwith any other components necessary for addressing increased demand on systems.Section E: Implementation Plan: Describe the process used to implement the contracted services,including any customization or transition period that will be required. Provide a listingof events and timeframes for accomplishing the implementation. All contact centerservices must be operational on the first day of the contract initiation period.Section F: Reporting Features: Describe how the contact center services will be reported and accessed.Training related to the use of the reporting features is a required component of theproposal.14

Section G: JEFFERSON STATE Staff Training/Development: Describe the training anddevelopment program that the vendor will implement at JEFFERSON STATE forJEFFERSON STATE staff. Include a detailed instruction plan and the number of hoursof training required, as well as a description of any services that would be providedspecifically for JEFFERSON STATE.Section H: Vendor Staff Training/Development: Provide a specific description of the training anddevelopment that the vendor will provide for their employees. Describe the detailedinstruction plan, the number of hours of instruction, method of presentation, and exactlyhow vendor personnel will be schooled on the support needs of JEFFERSON STATE.Section I: Research and Development Capabilities: The vendor must have the research anddevelopment capabilities needed to remain aware of changing industry technologiesfor contact center technologies. A brief description of the vendor's research anddevelopment capabilities must be included in the RFP response.Section J: Exceptions to Request for Proposal: The vendor must address any and all exceptionsto the Request for Proposal. These should be referenced by subsection.Section K: Additional Explanations and Interpretations: Any explanation desired regarding themeaning or interpretation of the Request for Proposal, attachments, specifications, etc.must be e-mailed to Ann Cimalore.Any information given to prospective vendors concerning the Request for Proposalwill be furnished/addressed by e-mail or provided in an addendum to the Requestfor Proposal.Section L:Acknowledgement of Amendment or Addendum to Request for Proposal: Receipt by avendor of an amendment or addendum to the Request for Proposal must be acknowledgedby inserting a copy in the vendors' proposal.Section M: Further Information: All proposals received in response to this Request for Proposal willbe evaluated and ranked in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in the RFP.Vendors are cautioned that the College will not accept after the closing date for receiptof proposal, data that is essential for a complete and thorough evaluation of theproposal. The College expects to award a contract based on the initial offer; therefore,all proposals should be submitted on the most favorable and complete price, and terms,including scope of services based on our stated criteria, that vendor can submit to theCollege.15

Section N: Proprietary Information: After the award of the contract, all proposals will be opened forpublic inspection. Trade secrets, test data and similar proprietary information willremain confidential, provided such material is clearly marked. However, net costinformation will not be considered confidential.Section 0: ADA Section 508 Compliant: Each vendor must certify that its proposal and theservices offered are in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities ActSection 508. Specific data related to the vendor' s compliance methodology wouldbe beneficial.16

Scope of ServicesGENERAL INFORMATIONObjectiveJefferson State Community College (JEFFERSON STATE) is soliciting proposals for contactcenter services that must include a scalable business model and focuses on timely responsiveness,outreach, and world class customer service. JEFFERSON STATE seeks to ensure that the contactcenter services provided results in increased caller satisfaction due to the use of a robust qualityassurance model. JEFFERSON STATE's objectives include, but are not limited to, answeringincoming calls, web chats, emails, constituent-initiated ticket system requests, and provide robustand comprehensive reports related to all calls at appropriate intervals. Also, outbound servicesincluding prospective student contact should be provided. The contact center should be preparedto manage two types of contacts: problem/solution resolution and recruitment/enrollmentmanagement services.The successful vendor will act as a help desk for answering student questions about Financial Aid andAdmissions & Records. The successful vendor should possess proficiency and expertise in the supportof members of the military and their dependents. Also, familiarity with staff and faculty, detailedknowledge of all web sites and familiarity with the physical layout of the various sites and campuses,schedules, marketing, and promotional programs is required.BackgroundJefferson State Community College serves 8,500 students at its four campuses in Alabama(Birmingham, Hoover, Pell City, and Clanton) and on-line. Jefferson State is accredited by theCommission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges. Jefferson State is focused onproviding world class service to students and all constituents; therefore, the contact center servicesare a critical support unit to the Community College.The key performance indicators for the successful vendor will include but is not limited to:oooAverage Speed of Answer - Less than 90 secondsAbandonment Rate - Less than 5% of all contactsCustomer Satisfaction Rate - 95% or higher17

JEFFERSON STATE CONTACT CENTER SERVICE REQUIREMENTSManagement Services1.The successful vendor must provide competent managerial staff that is experienced inplanning and project management. Full disclosure regarding the proposed managerial staffand their work background and experience must be included.2.The successful vendor must provide a dedicated manager for the JEFFERSON STATEContact Center who will work closely with JEFFERSON STATE' s contract managementteam. The vendor may include other managerial and staff members

1 2601 Carson Road Birmingham, Alabama 35215-3098 RFP Invitation #21-026 Request for Proposal for Contact Center Services RFP Opening Date: September 28, 2021 RFP Opening Time: 2:00 P.M. RFP Opening Location: George Wallace Hall Room 115 Submit bid proposal to: Jefferson State Community College JSCC RFP #21-026