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As the region’s leading nonprofit technology solution center, Edge is committed to connecting the higher education community with an ecosystem of solutions that support digital transformation. This commitment includes not only Edge’s own services delivered at nonprofit rates, but also third party vendor solutions that meet the needs of students, staff, and faculty. With this in mind, EdgeMarket was designed to be an organization’s “easy button” for technology procurement. Operating under a supply chain model informed by member needs, EdgeMarket issues requests for proposals (RFPs) on behalf of the entire higher education community in order to reduce the procurement burden on each institution and accelerate the onboarding and impact of essential technologies.
The RFP process can be onerous and with already stretched timelines and budgets, many organizations lack the time and resources to devote to researching and selecting new technology solutions. EdgeMarket minimizes the amount of effort required to research, analyze, and procure essential tools through three purchase methods, including Lead Agency status, cooperative pricing system, and shared services agreement. As a state authorized Education Services Corporation, Edge holds Lead Agency status. Under this designation, Edge can issue RFPs and negotiate pricing contracts for strategic partnerships on behalf of its membership; enabling members to obtain products that are in high demand at the most cost-competitive pricing available. Edge also holds designation as a Cooperative Pricing System and can issue RFPs on behalf of the entire public sector community in New Jersey and beyond.
Recently Awarded RFPs
Edge provides a broad array of technology related products and services, including solutions for software applications, cybersecurity, data analytics, cloud and data services, and video conferencing. EdgeMarket continually has a number of active procurements underway and upcoming procurements that are being prepared, researched, or considered. All services and solutions available through Edge can be viewed on the EdgeMarket eProcurement portal. EdgeMarket’s recent procurement contracts include recognized leaders in AI-enabled ChatBot solutions. One of these solutions, AdmitHub, has chatbots that combine behavioral science and AI to support students by individually guiding them through complex tasks, gathering data, conducting surveys, involving advisors, and providing 24/7 responses to their questions.
Using natural language processing and machine learning, the Ivy chatbot interacts with stakeholders by understanding the semantics of their inquiries and provides an immediate, meaningful answer. Ivy can be trained to disseminate information such as deadlines or school codes, but also can connect students to university resources such as help videos or other 3rd party resources. The third solution, Ocelot, is higher education’s leading AI Student Engagement Platform and includes bidirectional, smart communications capabilities for student outreach and support, empowering institutions to reach every student and answer every question from a single platform. Institutions use Ocelot to increase enrollment and retention, reduce summer melt, and maximize the impact of department staff.
To help organizations effectively communicate to their users when a crisis strikes, EdgeMarket’s solution suite includes OnSolve, the leading global provider of SaaS-based mass notification and critical communication solutions. The company’s cloud-based software communications platform provides seamless and easy-to-deploy solutions for the exchange of critical information among organizations, their people, devices, and external entities with use cases designed to save lives, enhance revenue, and reduce costs.
For institutions looking for steeply discounted rates for department and enterprise document imaging, management, workflow, and storage, EdgeMarket now offers the enterprise content management solution, GRM. A recognized leader in digital transformation, GRM’s VisualVault document management system enables organizations to efficiently scan or upload documents, extract metadata with intelligent character recognition (ICR) and optical character recognition (OCR) technology, capture additional data with i-forms, and automate verification workflows—simplifying document storage, retrieval, editing, sharing, and approval.
Edge has also recently awarded contracts to two recognized leaders in online exam proctoring, Examity and Proctorio. Both platforms provide a scalable, cost-effective solution for protecting exam integrity by validating identities and monitoring test takers during exams. In addition to these newly-acquired EdgeMarket solutions, institutions can also find products and services for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and student information systems (SIS), learning management systems (LMS), and cloud-based voice and unified communications. Edge has additional projects on the horizon and is currently preparing the release of several new RFPs, including Classroom Virtual Desktop, IT and Professional Consulting Services, Digital Marketing Services, Technology Hardware & Software Catalog, and Managed Campus and Residential Network Services.
Procurement Participation
Edge continuously evaluates member needs and market opportunities in order to identify, prioritize, and schedule future procurements. Member institutions and co-op participants are instrumental in further enhancing EdgeMarket’s solution suite by sharing insight into what solutions are needed and can provide the most value. Edge encourages organizations in the Edge community to get involved in the procurement process and shape future RFPs by participating in bid requirement feedback, vendor reviews, and vendor demos. Looking forward, Edge will continue to leverage its current success in eProcurement to advance the scale and capability of the EdgeMarket portal, and as new members join the Edge community, the robust catalog of products, providers, and services will continue to further diversify and grow.
Ready for easier, smarter, faster service procurement? Join EdgeMarket today! Learn more at njedge.net/solutions-overview/consortium-buying-eprocurement.
RFPs issued on behalf of the entire higher education community. EdgeMarket aggregates demand and issues RFPs on behalf of members, so that your purchasing team doesn’t need to take on the onerous process alone.
An EdgeMarket procurement portal where you can review all of the services and solutions available through Edge.
Currently available cooperative procurement contracts for:
- Cloud-based Voice & Unified Communications: CBTS
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) & Student Information Systems (SIS): Anthology, Jenzabar
- AI-Enabled Chatbots: AdmitHub, Ivy.ai, Ocelot
- Learning Management System: D2L – Brightspace
- Remote Exam Proctoring: Examity, Proctorio
- Microsoft Solutions & Services: SHI/Microsoft
- Enterprise Content Management: GRM
- Emergency Notification Software: OnSolve
- …and more to come.
Upcoming procurements for:
- Technology Catalog for Hardware & Software (TeCHS)
- Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence for Institutional Effectiveness
- IT Help Desk Services
- Pathogen Control Technologies
- Managed Campus and Residential Network Services
- Marketing Services
- Classroom Virtual Desktop
