ADDENDUM #2 to RFP# 16-0583 Financial Aid Call Center Services College of Southern Nevada Purchasing Department 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue N. Las Vegas, Nevada 89030 (702) 651-4223 Date of Addendum: Tuesday, December 29, 2015 Date of RFP Release: Wednesday, November 25, 2015 Date and Hour of RFP Opening: Tuesday, January 5, 2016 @ 3:00 P.M. Local The following change is being made to CSN RFP #16-0583 Financial Aid Call Center Services: Delete Section F, Scope of Work/Specifications, Letter C, second sentence in its entirety. Replace with the following: Such services shall be provided during operating hours from 8am 6:30pm Mondays and 8am 5pm Tuesday through Friday. The following questions were submitted and are answered below: 1. Whether companies from outside the USA can apply for this? A: Yes, but a company within the USA is preferred. 2. Whether we need to come over there for meetings? A: There is a possibility that this may be requested. 3. Can we perform the tasks (related to the RFP) outside USA? A: Refer to answer on #1. 4. Can we submit our proposals via email? A: No, please refer to Section B, Submission Instructions, 1 (E). 5. What is the average talk time for inbound calls? A: The average call is 6:06 minutes. 6. What is the average after call work time, (if any)? A: Information not available.
7. How many designated or shared call center staff members are currently managing these calls/texts/chats at the incumbent center? A: Eleven (11) 8. Please confirm the desired SLA, (Service Level Agreement), for time to answer, abandon rate, quality assurance, student satisfaction, and any additional metrics, (conversion, retention, etc.) A: Provide CSN with an average of 90% or better inquiries answered live. To reduce wait times during peak periods to have more than 90% of calls answered within an average of 60 seconds non-peak and 120 seconds peak time. Abandonment rate will not exceed 10%, i.e. 90% of all incoming calls answered. 9. Is CSN currently providing call center services in house or is the institution partnered with a 3 rd party vendor? A: CSN currently outsources call center services for Financial Aid. CSN currently provides call center services inhouse for those calls that are not financial aid related. 10. There is a section which requires Nevada Business License number. Since we do not have a physical location in Nevada, can we still apply for the RFP? A: See attached link for requirements for the Nevada Business License, http://nvsos.gov/index.aspx?page=267 11. We do understand if the lack of three plus years financial aid experience is a disqualifier, but with our experience in other university arenas we believe we would be a great partner for College of Southern Nevada needs. Before we move forward, please advise if this proposal is something we could be considered for? A: Please refer to Section C Evaluation of Proposals, Tab 1, #2. Proposer shall have a minimum of three (3) years experience in operation a call center which handles student financial aid related services targeted at students and parents. 12. Page 5, Section 1. Preparation and Submission, can our proposal response be double sided? A: Yes. 13. Page 5, Section 1. Preparation and Submission, Subsection f) you requested five copies of the proposal; do you also want 5 copies of the pricing or only an original? A: Only one (1) copy is to be provided with the original in a separate sealed envelope. 14. Page 10, Tab 3, is the respondent to provide a list of all college and university clients for which we provide or have provided similar services as those sought by CSN, or should we limit the list to no more than 6 schools, including any for which contract were not renewed or cancelled? A: Refer to Section C, Page 10, Tab 3, Proposer must provide at least three (3) but no more than six (6) references. 15. Page 10 Is the level of detail in the project description called for above to be similar to that requested in Tab 3, Section 2, Provide a summary of the specific work/service performed for the references provided including the type and scope of the project, the specific time period(s) for which your company had a contract or performed work for the client, and completion date.? A: Yes, provide the same level of detail. 16. Page 37 Our insurance carrier meets the requirements of the RFP and will provide a 30 day notice of cancellation, but not a 10 day notice of non-payment, will that be acceptable to CSN? A: No, CSN requires a 10 day notice of non-payment per NRS 687B.320 1. (a) and 2.
17. Where/how do we provide supplemental information such as sample reports or other documentation that may be of value? A: Tab 5, Miscellaneous can be added to the end of the proposal. 18. What is the current software being utilized by the financial aid office for processing? A: Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, we will provide access to successful proposer. 19. Can you let us know what the College s calendar looks like over the holiday season? Specifically, we would like to know when to schedule our response so that we can be sure it comports with this deadline? A: CSN will be closed on Friday, December 25, 2015 and all responses must be received by Tuesday, January 5, 2016, 3:00 P.M. Pacific Time. 20. The document indicates a proposal opening on December 29 th, is there a deadline in advance of the opening date for the submissions? A: No, per addendum #1 to CSN RFP #16-0583, the response must be received by Tuesday, January 5, 2016, 3:00 P.M. Local Time 21. Is the College expecting staff and student workers to be calling into the Financial Services Call Center or just students? A: Yes, staff and student workers may call into the Financial Aid Call Center. Anyone requesting information regarding Financial Aid Questions/Status may call into the Financial Aid Call Center. 22. The RFP states that the College wants dedicated staff for the call center. What is the expectation for utilization of dedicated staff? A: A group of staff shall be assigned to the College of Southern Nevada. These individuals may also be assigned to other schools. We do not want to have our students calling into a generalized call center. 23. On page 24 of the RFP, the document provides call volumes. Please verify that the call volumes are for financial aid services only. If not, can the College provide call volumes for financial aid related inquiries? A: The calls are only for financial aid services. 24. What are the expectations around service levels? A: Refer to answer on #8. 25. With regards to pricing, Page 25 section G Paragraph 1; what is the impact of statement CSN will only pay for actual work performed to the forecasted volume and request for different pricing models on page 26? A: Delete Section G, Pricing Response Form, first paragraph, second sentence in its entirety. 26. Does the College have a system to document inquiries or are they interested in utilizing Service-Now which is already in place at CSN? If so how many staff members at CSN would need to access Service-Now to work escalated inquiries? A: The College of Southern Nevada does not currently use Service-Now. 27. What is the typical/average call duration for inbound calls to CSN s financial aid department? A: Refer to answer on #5. 28. Does call duration typically vary during peak periods? If so, by how much? A: Call duration during a peak period is increased by approximately 2 minutes. 29. What level of coverage is desired during holidays observed by CSN, if any?
A: Coverage will not be required during the 11 state holidays that CSN is closed. Those holiday being New Years, Martin Luther King Jr, President s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Nevada Day (last Friday in October), Veteran s Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day immediately following Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. 30. What expanded hours may be, or have previously been required during peak volume periods? A: We have extended until 7:00 P.M. local time for peak period. 31. What current student information/financial aid system(s) are the College currently utilizing? Will the College be providing access and licenses for each vendor agent? A: Refer to answer on #18. 32. Does the College currently have an existing escalation/ticketing system? If yes, will the selected vendor be able to utilize this system. A: CSN does not currently have a ticketing system. 33. Is the College currently open and expecting service Monday-Friday 9am 5pm Pacific time? A: The successful proposer is expected to provide service from Open to Close. The campus is open for business from 8am 6:30pm Mondays and 8am 5pm Tuesday through Friday. 34. You mention that hours may be extended during peak beyond 9 5 on CSN working days. What days/additional hours are you looking for a vendor to cover during peak? A: CSN may require additional staffing one week before that start of each semester and hours may be extended making the coverage needed from 8:00 A.M. through 7:00 P.M. local time for peak periods. 35. Please provide information on historical call center data on average call time, average time to answer and average abandon rates. A: Refer to answer on #5 and #8. 36. Please provide desired service level agreements (SLAs), including average time to answer, average call time, 1 st call resolution, student satisfaction rates, percentage of calls escalated and average abandon rate. A: Refer to answer on #8. 37. Is CSN expecting enrollment increases or increases in call volumes, and if you are, please provide an estimate of projected call volumes for the following 3 years. A: CSN does not have access to this information and will not be able to provide and answer. 38. How is CSN currently providing Financial Aid call center services? Why is CSN seeking an external call center vendor at the time? A: CSN is currently utilizing a third party to provide call center services. 39. When is CSN seeking to award the new agreement? When is CSN seeking to have the new vendor s solution golive? A: CSN will award the new agreement after the RFP process. The effective date will then be determined. 40. What FAM (financial aid management) and imaging system does the College of Southern Nevada utilize? A: CSN currently utilizes Oracle PeopleSoft Campus Solution and On-base.
41. Does the College use a CRM product or additional software. A: No, not at this time. 42. Section A, 1. Purpose of Request. Could the College elaborate on what is meant by record service requests, track and monitor requests for financial aid services? Is this completed through the FAM or a separate system? If separate system, what system do you use? A: CSN does not currently have a ticketing system. Successful proposer is required to provide a record of service requests and to track and monitor requests for financial aid services. 43. Section F, C. Scope or Work. Regarding the statement, call center times could be changed during peak season, does that include weekend hours or just extended open times Monday through Friday? A: Refer to answer on #33 and #34. 44. Does CSN have a preferred vendor for this project? A: No, CSN does not have a preferred vendor. 45. Does CSN have a budget for this project? A: This information will not be provided. 46. Is the submission date same as opening date or is there a submission requirement prior to the opening date and time? A: Refer to answer of #19. 47. The RFP requires Bidders to respond using no less than 10-point font. May Bidders use a smaller, still readable font for the following: headers and footers, requirement text, exhibits, and tables? A: Yes, text must be legible. 48. Several requested documents/samples do not comply with font restrictions and they are not available in a native MS Office format for font adjustments. Please confirm that it is permissible to submit those documents as is. A: Yes. 49. The RFP restricts page size to 8 ½ X 11 inch paper. For complex documents like Microsoft Project plans and architecture diagrams, may Bidders use larger paper folded down to 8 ½ X 11 inch size? A: Yes. 50. Section B.d, p5 States that: d) Pricing is to be submitted on the Pricing Response Form provided or true copies thereof and must be manually signed by pen. However, there is no signature line on the form. Please clarify. A: Sign the bottom of the page. 51. Section B.d, p5 The Proposer shall submit one (1) clearly labeled original (with separate sealed pricing) and five (5) copies of their proposal, and one (1) copy on compact disk (CD) or flash drive. Should the electronic version of pricing be included on a separate CD or flash drive? A: Yes, must be on a separate CD/flash drive. 52. Section B.C, p5 The RFP states: Number each page ( of total pages) Does this mean consecutive page numbering throughout or may we number by section, i.e., 2-X of Y. A: Yes, consecutive page numbering throughout.
53. Does CSN invite offshore / nearshore call center solutions or are offers restricted to services provided from within the US? A: Refer to answer to #1. 54. Does CSN invite call center solutions that are all or in part provided by virtual / home based staff? A: Home based staff can be used. 55. What is your preferred go live date? A: Refer to answer to #39. 56. The Call Center will have access to CSN s Financial Aid software needed to provide student support services What system or systems will CSN provide? A: Refer to answer on #18. 57. If CSN observes one or more scheduled week long breaks, would the vendor be required to stop service for the same period? A: No. Refer to answer on #29. 58. Does CSN use a ticketing system to track contact volume, types and resolution time and for use escalating any unresolved contacts? If not, does CSN invite vendors to offer a ticketing solution for mutual use? If so, should pricing for a ticketing solution be presented separately as an option? A: CSN uses a ticketing system provided by our current service provider. Refer to answer #42. 59. Does CSN use an electronic knowledgebase for staff currently? If so, please describe knowledgebase system. If not, does CSN invite vendors to offer a knowledgebase solution for mutual use? If so, should pricing for a knowledgebase solution be presented separately as an option? A: CSN does not use an electronic knowledgebase. It is provided by our current service provider. 60. Will CSN provide a Toll Free number? Who is the service provider? A: No, CSN provides a local calling number that is forwarded to our current service provider. 61. Are the inbound volumes provided in the RFP for all calls offered, whether they were answered or not or are these volumes for answered calls only? A: The inbound volumes are for answered calls only. 62. What other metrics can CSN provide such as: Hang-up /Abandonment % for same periods as volumes, average speed of answer for same periods as volumes, average call handle time. A: There are no other metrics currently available. ALL OTHER TERMS, CONDITIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS OF THIS INVITATION FOR BID REMAIN THE SAME.