Cloud-Based Instructional Materials Textbook Management System

The South Carolina Department of Education is seeking a secure and scalable cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution to manage the full lifecycle of instructional materials. The desired system must be a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) offering that supports functions such as adoption, procurement, inventory management, distribution, and comprehensive reporting of educational resources. It should accommodate various types of instructional materials, including physical textbooks, digital resources, classroom kits, installed software, and other educational assets currently managed by the Office of Instructional Materials.

Key functionalities must include enabling publishers to submit instructional materials and associated documentation, automating bid processes and evaluation workflows, and facilitating seamless transitions from material adoption to ordering and inventory. The system should offer customizable, rubric-based evaluation tools for review panels, secure distribution of sample materials, a public-facing portal for transparency and the required public review period, and a visual catalog of current and historic district material selections. Additional requirements include support for school-level ordering with district-level approval workflows, barcode-based tracking via integration with the state textbook depository, editable order management, surplus material transfers, data import capabilities, and compatibility with current and future Student Information Systems, such as those utilizing EdFi API. Integration with the textbook depository must ensure precise pricing, billing, allocation, and returns management.