Applicant Identity Verification Solution

RFP Issue Date: February 10th, 2026

Deadline for Written Questions: March 2nd, 2026, 4:00 pm EST

RFP Due Date: March 23rd, 2026, 4:00 pm EST

Offeror Presentations: To be Scheduled if needed.

Anticipated Contract Effective Date: Late Spring of 2026.

The state of Kentucky is seeking a vendor to provide an applicant identity verification solution with advanced features to enhance the integrity of admissions and financial aid processes. The desired solution should utilize machine learning or AI technology to detect and flag potentially fraudulent applications, with the option to include an explainable and auditable fraud scoring model.

Key requirements include a verification portal supporting secure upload of documents and images in multiple formats (such as pdf, jpg, heic, and png), comprehensive identity checks, secure communication, and compliance with accessibility standards. The platform should be optimized for mobile devices, feature a dashboard for reviewing the status of ID verification requests, and allow staff to manually initiate verification as needed. Automation tools are required to decrease the need for manual review, with robust role-based access control for security.

The system must integrate seamlessly with existing admissions and financial aid workflows, ensuring that application and verification statuses are properly communicated to student information and customer relationship management systems to trigger subsequent actions. The contract term for the selected solution will be two years.