The capability driving this recommendation — Identity Synchronization — is proprietary technology developed by and exclusively owned by Ketch Kloud, Inc. It is delivered only as part of the Ketch platform and is not available, in whole or in substantial part, from any other vendor evaluated.
Identity Synchronization (primary product differentiator)
Ketch's Identity Synchronization capability collects the third-party system identifiers present on a page or application at the moment a consent decision is made, and maintains a persistent, cross-system map tying those identifiers back to the same individual. Where different identifiers associated with one person carry conflicting consent states, the platform applies an automated conflict-resolution process to determine the governing choice. This capability functions for anonymous, not-logged-in visitors as well as authenticated users, and it is configured entirely by a privacy team member through the Ketch product interface — it does not require custom engineering work to build or maintain.
This is the feature the University's requirement turns on. Without a resolved, cross-system identity, a consent platform can only tie a privacy choice to a single cookie or a single device; it cannot guarantee that an opt-out follows a person as they move across browsers, devices, and the University's marketing and analytics ecosystem. Identity Synchronization is what makes that guarantee possible, and it is unique to the Ketch platform.
Cross-Device Consent Persistence
Built directly on the identity capability above, Ketch ties a privacy choice to a resolved identity rather than to a browser cookie or a single device. Once a person is recognized, an opt-out made on one device or browser is honored everywhere that person is subsequently recognized — including mobile applications and pseudonymous profiles linked to that same identity. This is what allows a consent decision to survive a cleared cookie, a new browser, or a device switch, a guarantee that is only possible because of the underlying identity graph described above.
Server-Side Evidentiary Record
Both capabilities are underpinned by a server-side, timestamped, identity-linked log of the notice presented, the choice made, the downstream systems instructed to act on that choice, the identifier used for each instruction, and whether each call succeeded. This record is queryable on a self-service basis by any identifier within the identity graph, giving the University a defensible audit trail tied to the same resolved identity that drives enforcement — rather than a fragmented set of logs organized by cookie or device.
Cohort-Based Scanning (Iris)
Ketch's data mapping and scanning technology, Iris, uses a cohort-based sampling methodology that is patent-pending, with the patent application filed by Ketch Kloud, Inc. This methodology is proprietary to Ketch and not replicable by another vendor's tooling.
3. Delivered as Configuration, Not Custom Engineering
All of the capabilities described above are delivered out of the box as part of the Ketch platform. Initial setup and all future changes are performed as configuration within the Ketch product interface by a member of the University's privacy team, not as custom software development on Clemson's side. Where engineering work is required to support these capabilities, that work is performed once, by Ketch, in building and maintaining the underlying integration — it is not work the University repeats with each deployment or each new digital property. This materially reduces the ongoing burden on Clemson's technical staff relative to a build-it-yourself or multi-vendor approach.
4. Basis for Sole Source Procurement
Identity Synchronization, the cross-device consent persistence it enables, the identity-linked evidentiary record, and the patent-pending Iris scanning methodology are proprietary technologies developed by and owned exclusively by Ketch Kloud, Inc., and are available only through the Ketch platform. Because the University's requirement — a consent decision that reliably follows an individual across systems and devices, with a defensible audit record to match — depends specifically on these proprietary capabilities, no other product evaluated can meet this requirement. Accordingly, the Division of Marketing & Communications requests approval to procure this platform from Ketch Kloud, Inc. as a sole source.
Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract, shall notify the appropriate chief Procurement officer in writing of its intent to protest within five (5) business days of the date this notice is posted. Any actual or prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of this sole source contract and has timely notified the appropriate chief procurement officer of its intent to protest, may protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner set forth below within fifteen days of the date this notice is posted; except that a matter that could have been raised as a protest of the solicitation may not be raised as a protest of the award or intended award of a contract.
A protest must be in writing, filed with the appropriate chief procurement officer, and set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. The protest must be received by the appropriate chief procurement officer within the time provided above. Days are calculated as provided in S.C. Code Ann. § 11-35-310(13).
Any Notice Of Intent To Protest And Protest Must Be Addressed To: Information Technology Management Officer
803-737-0600 • scbo@mmo.sc.gov • https://scbo.sc.gov • https://procurement.sc.gov
