The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) intends to secure a contract with Kimono LLC without competition for SIFWorks Student Locator Framework (SIFWorks SLF) software licensing and support. As owner of the Kimono Platform PAAS (Platform-As-A-Service), Kimono LLC is the sole source for that service and its accompanying support and maintenance. The Kimono Platform and the Pearson SIFWorks SLF software, and support and maintenance are available only from Kimono.

The Kimono Platform is the only multi-protocol, cloud-hosted message broker software built on top of Kimono's advanced Java interoperability tools that is used to provide integration with SIF (the Schools Interoperability Framework) for Agent software conforming to the SIF specification as well as with CSV (Comma Separated Value) files and other public standards. The SIFWorks SLF is the only SIF Agent software built on top of Pearson’s Java SIF tools that is used to automatically distribute and retrieve state student unique identifiers via SIF. SIF is the most widely used vendor-neutral standard for interoperability in schools.

QUESTIONS: Shall be addressed to the email address of the Procurement Officer indicated in the SCBO advertisement.

PROTESTS: If you are aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of the contract, you may be entitled to protest, but only as provided in Section 11-35-4210. To protest an award, you must (i) submit notice of your intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted, and (ii) submit your actual protest within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted. Days are calculated as provided in Section 11-35-310(13). Both protests and notices of intent to protest must be in writing and must be received by the appropriate Chief Procurement Officer within the time provided. The grounds of the protest and the relief requested must be set forth with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. Any protest or notice of intent to protest must be addressed to the Chief Procurement Officer, Information Technology Management Office, and submitted in writing

(a) by email to: protest-itmo@itmo.sc.gov, or

(b) by post or delivery to: 1201 Main Street, Suite 600, Columbia, SC 29201.

Unless otherwise suspended or canceled, SCDE will enter into a contract for these products and services described above. Contractor should not perform any work on or incur any costs associated with this notice prior to the receipt of a purchase order. SCDE assumes no liability for any expenses incurred prior to issuance of a purchase order.