1-4446 Payment Processing Services-FINAL.pdf

CITY OF NORWALK

PURCHASING DEPARTMENT

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SEALED RFPS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE OFFICE OF THE PURCHASING AGENT, 125 EAST AVENUE NORWALK, CT 06851

BY THE DATE AND TIME OF RFP OPENING

PROJECT NUMBER: 4446

REQUESTING DEPARTMENT: Tax Collector

DATE OF RFP ISSUANCE: 08/12/2025

TITLE OF RFP:

Payment Processing Services

RFI/QUESTION DEADLINE: 2:00PM 08/19/2025

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 2:00PM 08/27/2025

HARD COPY SUBMISSION DEADLINE: N/A

MANDATORY WALKTHROUGH:

DATE, TIME, AND LOCATION OF WALKTHROUGH

YES ( ) NO (X )

N/A

TIME/DATE OF RFP OPENING: 2:00 PM 08/27/2025

RFP DEPOSIT REQUIRED:

IF YES, AMOUNT REQUIRED

YES ( ) NO (X )

SUCCESSFUL BIDDERS ONLY:

PERFORMANCE & PAYMENT BOND REQUIRED:

IF YES, AMOUNT REQUIRED

YES ( ) NO (X )

SUCCESSFUL BIDDERS ONLY:

MAINTENANCE BOND REQUIRED:

YES ( ) NO ( X)

ALL TERMS AND CONDITIONS, SPECIFICATIONS AND BID FORMS ARE ATTACHED HERETO.

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS WILL BE REQUIRED FOR A BID TO BE COMPLIANT

1. BIDDER’S INFORMATION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

2. RFP FORMS, INCLUDING PRICING SHEETS AND ADDENDA ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORMS

3. EXCEPTIONS (IF ANY)

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NOTICE TO BIDDERS

1. ALL RFPS WILL BE OPENED PROMPTLY AT THE ADVERTISED TIME OF OPENING. THERE WILL BE NO DELAYS OR POSTPONEMENTS WHICH ARE NOT PUBLICLY ADVERTISED. ANY RFP RECEIVED AFTER THE ADVERTISED TIME

OF OPENING WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

2. OBLIGATION OF BIDDERS:

a. AT THE TIME OF OPENING RFPS, EACH BIDDER SHALL BE PRESUMED TO HAVE INSPECTED THE SITES

AND TO HAVE MADE THEMSELVES THOROUGHLY FAMILIAR WITH THE PLANS AND CONTRACT

DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING ALL ADDENDA. THE FAILURE OR OMISSION OF ANY BIDDER TO RECEIVE OR

EXAMINE ANY FORM, INSTRUMENT OR DOCUMENT SHALL IN NO WAY RELIEVE ANY BIDDER FROM

ANY OBLIGATION IN RESPECT TO THEIR RFP.

b. EACH BIDDER MUST FULLY INFORM THEMSELVES OF THE CONDITONS RELATING TO THE WORK WHICH WILL BE PERFORMED. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL NOT RELIEVE THE SUCCESSFUL BIDDER OF

THEIR OBLIGATION TO FURNISH ALL LABOR AND MATERIALS NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE

PROVISIONS OF THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS AND TO COMPLETE THE CONTEMPLATED WORK. IN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THE CONTRACTOR MUST, IN CARRYING OUT THEIR WORK, EMPLOY SUCH MEANS AND METHODS AS WILL NOT CAUSE ANY INTERRUPTIONS OR INTERFERENCE WITH THE WORK OF ANY

OTHER CONTRACTOR.

3. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE (IF APPLICABLE):

a. IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY THE DATE SPECIFIED AS THE SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION DATE IN THE CONTRACT ENTERED INTO BY THE CITY AND THE CONTRACTOR, THE CONTRACTOR WILL BE

SUBJECT TO CONSEQUENTIAL AND/OR LIQUIDATED DAMAGES.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION

The City of Norwalk (“City”) is seeking proposals from qualified financial institutions to provide payment processing services for debit/credit cards, ACH payments, electronic checks and other forms of electronic payments for the purpose of paying charges to the Tax Collector. The requirements of this project are outlined in greater detail under Section 2 Scope of Work/Project Specifications.

2. RFP DOCUMENTS

All RFP documents for this invitation are available over the internet at http://www.norwalkct.gov. Adobe Acrobat reader is required to view this document. If you do not have this software you may download it for free from Adobe.

3. ADDENDA

All addenda, if issued will be available over the internet at http://www.norwalkct.gov. We strongly suggest that you check for any addenda a minimum of forty-eight hours in advance of the RFP deadline. It is the responsibility of the bidder to check for issuance of any addenda.

4. BIDDER’S LIST

Bidder’s list for this solicitation will not be published.

5. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS RFP

All questions concerning this solicitation must be directed, via e-mail, to Sharon Conners, Purchasing Agent at sconners@norwalkct.gov. Please include the Project Number and Project Title in the subject line. The deadline for the submission of questions is 2:00 pm, August 19, 2025.

6. SUBMISSION OF RFP

The City of Norwalk requires electronic sealed submission for this project in the City of Norwalk’s BONFIRE portal (https://norwalkct.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities).

All sealed electronic submissions must be submitted in Bonfire no later than August 27/2025, at 2:00PM.

7. SUMMARIES

A list of the proposing firms will be available any time after 5:00 pm on the day of the RFP opening at Purchasing-Bid Postings. RFP results will not be provided over the phone.

Page 3 of 65, 4446 Payment Processing Services-FINAL http://www.norwalkct.gov/ http://www.norwalkct.gov/ mailto:sconners@norwalkct.gov https://norwalkct.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities https://www.norwalkct.gov/Bids.aspx?CatID=showStatus&txtSort=Date&showAllBids=on&Status=open

SPECIAL NOTES:

1. Public Opening: Per the City of Norwalk Purchasing Guidelines, Bids shall be opened publicly by the Purchasing

Agent or his designee, in the presence of one or more witnesses at the time and place designated in the Invitation for Bids. Receipt of Proposals: Proposals shall be opened so as to avoid disclosure of contents to competing proposers during the process of negotiation. A Register of Proposals shall be prepared in accordance with these Procurement Guidelines and shall be open for public inspection after contract award. If you wish to hear the bid/RFP opening, please join us through a teleconference.

Access Number: (866) 640-4044 or (678) 302-3554

Participant Code: 968 704

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SECTION 1 – RESPONSE FORMS

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PROPOSER’S INFORMATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT FORM

Proposer’s Name

Street Address

City State Zip

Business Telephone:

Email Address:

Printed Name and Title of Individual Submitting Proposal

The undersigned acknowledges that the terms, conditions and specifications of this RFP are understood and unconditionally accepted.

Signature Date

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Exceptions: Note any vendor(s) responding to this proposal shall indicate any/all exceptions (if any) taken to language in this proposal. BIDDERS MAY NOT TAKE EXCEPTION TO SUBSTANTIVE TERMS OF STANDARD CONTRACT FORMS PROVIDED IN THE RFP/RFQ/ITB. Exceptions must be declared below in order to be considered by the City:

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1.1 PROPOSAL RESPONSE FORM

Vendor Name -

Address -

Phone -

Fax -

Email -

Manager -

Fed ID#

The undersigned hereby declares that they have carefully examined the plans, specifications and project sites and has satisfied themselves as to all the quantities and conditions and understands that in signing this proposal they waives all right to plead any misunderstanding regarding the same.

The undersigned further understands and agrees that they will furnish and provide all the necessary material, machinery, implements, tools, labor, services, and other items of whatever nature, and to do and perform all the work necessary under the aforesaid conditions, to carry out the contract and to accept in full compensation therefore the amount of the contract as agreed to by the Contractor and the City.

It is further understood and agreed that all information included in, attached to, or required by the Request for Proposal shall be public record upon delivery to the City.

A. PROPOSED FEES: Provide a schedule of fees for the City of Norwalk card processing services. Also, please provide fee information for any services that are billed but are not listed below.

SERVICE Costs/Fees 1 In-Person Transactions-per transaction ACH/EFT Check Credit/Debit (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express) $ Digital Wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, etc)

2 On-line (Internet) Transactions -per transaction ACH/EFT Check Credit/Debit (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express) $ Digital Wallet (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, etc)

3 Other Fees:

Set-up – Installation fee(s) Interchange fees Monthly Maintenance fee Monthly Minimum (s) Discount Online Reporting (daily) – monthly rate

Interchange Fees

Computer Programming (hourly rate) Point of Sale terminals (each) Point of Sale terminal supplies Fraud Protection fee(s)

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SERVICE Costs/Fees Chargeback / Return Fee Online Access Fee E-Check Return Fee Wireless Fee Wire Authorization Fee Other Fee:______________________ Other Fee:______________________ Other Fee:______________________

TOTAL MONTHLY FEE

B. CERTIFICATION

Submitted By: Signature:

Authorized Agent of Company (Name & Title):

Date:

C. The above signatory acknowledges receipt of the following addenda issued during the bidding period and understands that they are a part of the bidding documents (if applicable):

Addendum # Dated Addendum # Dated

Addendum #

Dated Addendum #

Dated

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1.2 STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS

Please answer the following questions regarding your company's past performance. Failure to reply to this instruction may be regarded as justification for rejecting a bid.

1. Number of years in business:

2. Number of personnel employed: Part Time Full Time

3. List six contracts of this type/size your firm has completed within the last four years:

Project Date Contact Person Phone No.

4. SUBCONTRACTORS: If subcontractors are to be used, please list firm name, address, name of principal, and phone number below or on a separate sheet. Also indicate portion or section of work subcontractor will be performing.

COMPANY NAME ADDRESS PRINCIPAL PHONE PORTION/SECTION

OF WORK

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5. ORGANIZATIONAL

STRUCTURE OF

BIDDER (check which applies) general partnership limited partnership limited liability corporation limited liability partnership corporation doing business under a trade name individual doing business under a trade name other (specify)

6. STATUS OF THE

BUSINESS AND ITS

CURRENT STANDING

WITH THE SECRETARY

OF STATE'S OFFICE; e.g., are all required filings current and in good standing or has the entity been withdrawn or canceled

Connecticut corporations - Will the Secretary of State be able to issue a Certificate of Good Standing within 30 days of the bid opening?

Yes No

Out-of -State corporations - Do you have a valid license to do business in the State of Connecticut? (Evidence in the form of a Certificate of Authority from the Connecticut Secretary of State will be required within 30 days of the bid opening.)

Yes No

7. CT eLICENSE (https://www.elicense.ct.gov ) / Business Registration (https://business.ct.gov/?language=en_US) :

8. Is your local organization an affiliate of a parent company? If so, Indicate the principal place of business of your company and the name of the agent for service if different from what has been indicated on the response form:

Business Name

Address

City. State & Zip

Name of Agent

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NOTE: In the case of a Limited Liability Corporation or a Limited Liability Partnership a certified copy of the Articles of Organization certified as valid and in effect as of the date of the bid opening will be required within 30 days of the bid opening. A listing of the corporate officers, in the case of a corporation; the general or managing partners, in the case of a partnership; or the managers and members in the case of either a limited liability partnership or company will be required within 30 days of the bid opening.

9. Your company may be asked to submit the following information relative to your company's financial statements prior to receiving an award. This information will not be part of the public bidding record and will remain confidential.

All information should be supported with appropriate audited financials

a. Book Value (Total Assets (-) Total Liabilities)

b. Working Capital (Current Assets (-) Current Liabilities

c. Current Ratio (Current Assets/Current Liabilities)

d. Debt to Equity Ratio (Long Term Debt/Shareholder's Equity)

e. Return on Assets (Net Income/Total Assets)

f. Return on Equity (Net Income/Shareholder's Equity)

g. Return on Invested Capital (Net Income/Long Term Debt = Shareholders' Equity)

All responses to this questionnaire are understood to be proprietary to the vendor, and will be considered confidential.

Additional information may be requested subsequent to your responding to this bid request.

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1.3 CITY OF NORWALK VENDOR RECORDS

If you have not done business with the City of Norwalk as a vendor, your business information needs updating or your City of Norwalk vendor record has not been updated over three (3) years. Please complete and include the latest version of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) W-9 Form with your submission. Here is the URL to the IRS website:

https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9

1.4 INSURANCE

Insurance Agency Name: Tel:

Agency Address: Email:

1.5 CITY OF NORWALK VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE – IT INFORMATION SECURITY

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City of Norwalk Vendor Questionnaire

IT Information Security

Rev 8.4.22

1. Third-Party Contact Information (please provide the POC for follow-up questions to this questionnaire):

Vendor Name, Address, Point-of-Contact Name, Phone Number and Email

2. Description of Services/Products: Please provide a detailed description of services/products your organization aims to provide to the City?

3. System and Equipment Access: Will your organization use your own systems and equipment to perform the services, or will your organization need access to the City’s systems, equipment and network? (Yes or

No, If Yes, please explain)

YES ☐ NO ☐

4. Description of Data: Are you using data from the City in order provide the services/product to the City

(Yes or No, if Yes proceed to 3.1)

a. What data is needed to provide the services/products to the City?

Example: Name, Social Security Number, Trade Information, Source Code, Payroll or Accounts Payable data, student or patient data, Law Enforcement data, any Personally Identifiable Information (PII), etc.

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If your answers to Questions 3 and 4 are BOTH “NO”, thank you for completing the IT

Information Security Questionnaire.

If one or both questions are “YES”, please complete the remaining questions.

5. Office Locations: How many office locations does your organization have? Please include the locations of your organization.

6. Data Center Locations: How many data centers does your organization utilize to provide services/products to the City? Please include the locations of the data centers utilized by your organization.

7. Business Entity: What is your business entity type?

*Example: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, C Corporation, S Corporation, Limited Liability Corporation (LLC), Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

8. How many employees and contingent workers do you have in your organization?

1-10 ☐ 10-50 ☐ 50-100 ☐ 100-500 ☐ 500-1000 ☐ 1000 or more ☐

9. Physical Access: Does your organization need to be onsite or offsite to provide services/products to the City?

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10. Access to Data: How is your organization accessing City data?

*Example: Is the data supposed to be sent to your organization via email or will the data need to be uploaded to an application?

*Note: For third-parties that are providing an application to perform the services, please specify whether the application will be an internally hosted solution, cloud-based solution (i.e. SaaS, IaaS, PaaS), or a traditional web-based application (i.e. eBay, WebEx, online banking application)

11. Data Storage: Does your organization outsource data storage or does your organization utilize its own databases to store data? Does your organization store data outside of the United States?

YES ☐ NO ☐

12. Segregation of Data: Does your organization’s database structure allow segregation of sensitive client data?

YES ☐ NO ☐

13. Independent Attestations: Does your organization have independent attestations such as (i.e. ISO 27001, SSAE-18 SOC-1, SOC-2, PCI- DSS, ISO 9001)?

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14. Information Security

a. Does your organization have written information security policies and procedures (WISP)?

b. How often are the information security policies and procedures reviewed and updated?

c. Who in the organization is responsible for reviewing and updating the information security policies and procedures?

d. Does your organization have privacy policies and procedures?

e. How often are the privacy policies and procedures updated?

f. Who in the organization is responsible for reviewing and updating the privacy policies and

g. What methods of encryption are utilized for data at rest and in transit?

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h. Are the encryption methods utilized FIPS 140-2 approved?

i. Does your organization utilize firewalls to filter incoming data and information from the internet into your company network?

j. Does your organization perform penetration testing at least once per year to determine if unauthorized access to the computer network and malicious activity is possible externally?

k. Does your organization perform vulnerability testing at least once per year in order to identify vulnerabilities within the internal network?

l. Does your organization perform background checks on employees and contingent workers prior to onboarding them? Describe the nature of these background checks (i.e., criminal, credit, international, etc.).

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m. Does your organization utilize multi-factor authentication?

n. Does your organization utilize scan cards or biometric scans to grant employees and contingent workers access to the building and data centers where data is stored?

o. If offering a technology product, does the organization utilize software development life cycle (SDLC) or

Agile to build and maintain technological product?

p. Does the technological product undergo information security testing and quality assurance testing prior to deployment?

q. Does the Vendor provide annual Cybersecurity Awareness training to their employee?

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r. Does the Vendor provide annual phishing simulations for their employee?

s. Have users been educated on how to report suspected security violations or vulnerabilities?

t. Does the Vendor have an employee identified as the Chief Information Security Officer?

u. Are all the Vendor laptops encrypted?

v. Are all Vendor computers (workstations, notebooks) required to join the Company’s domain and receive Group Policies?

w. Does the Vendor meet the NIST 800-63 password guidelines?

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15. Risk Management

a. Does your organization have an enterprise risk management framework implemented at your organization?

b. Does your organization have documented enterprise risk management policies and procedures?

c. Who in the organization is responsible for reviewing the enterprise risk management policies and

d. Does your organization utilize an outside third-party to provide services/products to the client?

e. Does your organization have a third-party risk management program (TPRM)?

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f. Does your organization include right-to audit clauses in contracts with third parties?

g. Does your organization have a certificate of insurance (COI)? Please attach a copy of your COI.

Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery

a. Does your organization have a business continuity plan?

b. How often is the business continuity plan updated?

c. Does your organization conduct business continuity tests once per year?

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d. Does your organization have a disaster recovery plan?

e. How often is the disaster recovery plan updated?

f. Does your organization conduct disaster recovery tests once per year?

g. Does your organization have business continuity and/or disaster recovery sites?

h. Are the business continuity/disaster recovery sites located in the United States or outside the

United States? Please include the locations of business continuity/disaster recovery sites?

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SECTION 2 – SCOPE OF WORK / PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS

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2.1 Overview

The City of Norwalk (“City”) is seeking proposals from qualified financial institutions to provide payment processing services for debit/credit cards, ACH payments, Electronic checks and other forms of electronic payments for the purpose of paying charges to the Tax Collector. The City would like to continue to offer taxpayers the opportunity to conduct business and / or pay fees online or at City facilities with the most current technology and convenience offered by today’s merchant account service companies. Additionally, a cursory review of today’s competitive merchant services would offer greater and more secure payment options with a reduction in processing fees. The term of the resulting contract shall be for an initial period of two (2) years and, at the discretion of the City and the Tax Collector, three (3) potential additional one (1) year extension periods.

2.2 Goals and Objectives

The City would like to continue to offer its taxpayers the opportunity to conduct business with the Tax Collector while utilizing debit/credit cards, ACH payments, Electronic checks and other forms of electronic payments as a form of payment, whether through in-person, pay by phone, or online transactions. The City will perform its due diligence in ensuring that debit/credit card transactions and other forms of electronic payments are conducted in the most secure, efficient, and cost-effective manner.

2.3 Schedule

The successful Company shall be expected to commence work within fourteen (14) calendar days after the receipt of a notice of award from the City. A full implementation shall be expected to be completed within forty-five (45) calendar days after the initial fourteen (14) day period.

2.4 Dissemination of Information

During the term of the resulting contract, the successful proposer may not release any information related to the services or performance of services under the contract, nor publish any report or documents relating to the City, the account or performance of services under the agreement without prior written consent of the City; and shall indemnify and hold harmless the City, its officers, agents, and employees from all liability which may be incurred by reason of dissemination, publication and distribution, or circulation, in any manner whatsoever, of any information, data, documents, or material pertaining to the City, the account or the contract by the proposer or its agents or employees.

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2.5 Scope of Services

• The City of Norwalk seeks to engage a full-service Company experienced in the development, installation and operation of a credit and debit card, ATM card, ACH payment and Electronic check processing service for Tax Collection purposes.

• The Company must provide a competitively based discount for the processing of the major credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express.

• The Company’s systems must be compatible with the Quality Data Systems / QDS 5 Tax Collector System (“QDS”) used by Connecticut municipal tax collection offices for the billing and collection of Real Estate, Business Personal Property, and Motor Vehicle taxes, Sewer use charges, and various other fees.

• There should be no cap on utility payments.

• The service shall allow the City to authenticate cardholders by using the card’s magnetic stripe or chip to authenticate the cardholder and to authorize and capture the transaction in the Tax Collector’s office.

• The system must be web-based, and operable on a mobile device.

• The system should have the ability to set automatic payments and email reminders with content specified and approved by the City, and sent only at the discretion of the City.

• The system should offer the ability to pay online though Venmo, PayPal and similar platforms.

• The system should provide payment, settlement and refunding services.

• The system should provide the customer a transactional receipt that contains only the last four

(4) digits of the credit card number, and that does not show the expiration date.

• The system should provide immediate and direct deposit of all payments made by a customer, into a designated City of Norwalk bank account through a City-approved banking partner. At no time should any customer payments flow through the Company’s or a contractor’s bank account(s).

• The system should provide online daily transaction and account reconciliation reports by major credit card and by merchant ID. These reports must be compatible for import into the City’s various systems [Tyler Technologies / MUNIS and QDS].

• Any reports furnished to the City by the Company must be compatible with the City’s various systems [Tyler Technologies – MUNIS and QDS].

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• The Company should provide, at no cost to the City, on-site technical service as may be required in the event of operational difficulties related to the transmission of daily transactions and / or any equipment/software failure or malfunction.

• In addition to the above scope of services, the Company shall meet the following expectations:

• Be regularly engaged in the acceptance and processing of debit/credit cards and other forms of electronic payments, and in providing on-line reporting services, with at least five (5) years of experience.

• Demonstrate to the satisfaction of the City that the Company has adequate financial resources, experienced

• personnel, and significant experience in processing debit/credit cards and other forms of electronic payments.

• Provide documentation to support the qualifications criteria as part of the response to this RFP;

• Provide a consistent, single point of contact for customer relations with the City.

• Provide live, interactive customer service support during regular business hours, such hours to be specified by the Company, accessible via a toll-free number for users (taxpayers / customers) to call if they are having trouble using the Company’s system. This toll-free number must be accessible and available on all the payment platforms and on all marketing materials promoting use of the system for the City’s transactions.

• Under no circumstances will the City of Norwalk Tax Collector’s Office employees be expected provide the above described telephone-based customer support service to users of the system in lieu of the above.

• Provide real-time, web-based reporting of transactions by department and/or location.

• Be fully compliant with all payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards as established by the

Payment Card Industry Standards Council.

• Provide seven (7) days per week technical support.

• Provide on-line resources for retrieving, reviewing, printing and/or downloading transactions and settlement data in a format compatible for importation into the City’s various systems [Tyler Technologies – MUNIS and QDS] .

• Have the ability to provide multiple City users with access to on-line reporting

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• Provide initial and ongoing training as is necessary

2.6 Required Standards

• INDUSTRY STANDARDS REQUIREMENTS- The following standards apply to this work:

a) Compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards

b) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance as required by industry standards

c) Cybersecurity / risk avoidance compliance as outlined and required by the City of Norwalk

Information Technology (IT) Department

• PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

A. Performance Requirements

• Accurate and consistent processing of debit/credit card transactions and other forms of electronic payment.

• Timely payment of transactions deposited directly into a designated City of Norwalk bank account.

• Accurate and timely online reporting of debit/credit card transactions and other forms of electronic payment.

• Timely and accurate submittal of invoices to appropriate department.

• Responsive and knowledgeable person designated as the single-point of contract for matters related to the contract, and processing of debit/credit card transactions and other forms of electronic payment.

B. Performance Measurement/Evaluation

• Did the Company implement debit/credit card processing capability in a timely manner by department?

• Did the Company respond to City correspondence in a timely manner?

• Were complaints/problems resolved in a reasonable and cooperative manner?

• Was the Company reasonable and responsive to City and taxpayer (customer) needs?

2.7 Audit of Records

Proposer(s) affirmatively acknowledges and agrees that pursuant to any ensuring contract, successful proposer shall maintain adequate books of account with respect to its services, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), in a form and method acceptable to the City.

Successful proposer(s) shall permit the City and City’s agents from time-to-time with forty-eight (48) hours written notice, to inspect, copy and audit during successful proposer(s) normal business office hours, the books and records pertaining to the services provided under this Agreement. The City’s right to audit, inspect, and make copies of proposer’s records shall be at the sole expense of the City.

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Periodic and/or Annual Reports. At any time, the City may request that the successful Company, with the minimum of thirty (30) days written notice, prepare and/or produce a report of the results of operations, as it pertains to any ensuring agreement, in the previous calendar year prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The report must be prepared and certified by an independent certified public accounting firm. (For purposes of said agreement, each “calendar year” begins on January 1 and ends on December 31 of the same year.)

2.8 Record Retention

The successful Company shall maintain all records in relation to this proposed agreement at its location for a period of at least five (5) years upon expiration or earlier termination of the contract or for a period stipulated by the governing State and Federal regulations, whichever is longer.

2.9 No Guarantee of Quantities

The City does not guarantee quantity or services required in the scope of work defined herein. The successful Company shall provide all materials, labor, and equipment, whether specified or not, to provide a complete working system.

The quantities of items or extent of scope of work are estimated values. In the event a greater or lesser quantity is required, the City reserves the right to increase or decrease said values in accordance with the pricing schedule.

2.10 Fees

The fees and charges presented in this proposal shall remain firm for initial award period (two years) and be renewed on the same terms and conditions for the potential additional periods of the contract with the following exceptions that shall be adjusted to reflect increases or decreases in all applicable rates, fees, and assessments established by MasterCard and Visa Interchange rates. The merchant service provider shall notify the City a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the effective date of any change of exclusions and / or service fee increases or decreases.

Fees not identified by your Company in your original proposal shall not be considered at any time during the initial contract or the potential extension periods.

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2.11 Proposal Submission Format

Proposals should put forth full, accurate, and complete but concise information as required by this request. The City shall not be liable for costs incurred in the preparation of the response to this RFP or in connection with any presentation before a Selection Committee.

Firms should create their submissions in 8½” x 11” document size using a minimum 12-point font size, double sided, include page numbers and any blank pages must be watermarked “Intentionally Left Blank”. Proposals should be prepared simply and economically, providing a straightforward, concise description of the applicant's ability to meet the requirements of the RFP. Emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content.

The City reserves the right to reject proposals/parts thereof or to solicit new proposal and award contracts as it deems tin its best interest. All proposals will remain property of the City. It is further understood and agreed that all information included in, attached to, or required by the Request for Proposal shall be public record upon delivery to the City.

To enable the City to compare the proposals received we ask that your proposal include the information specified below, the sequence listed, with each section of your proposal numbered to correspond to the numbers sequenced below.

Request for Proposal (RFP) shall include the following, in this order:

A. Executive Summary: Provide an executive summary – maximum three (3) pages, single spaced – that includes the full Company name, tax identification number and main office address of the primary company. Include annual reports, 10k, balance sheets and any other information detailing the financial stability and organizational ability of the company. The company must have been in business for a minimum of five (5) years. Financial information may be provided separately, in a separate and sealed envelope, identified accordingly. The City will not divulge such financial information unless required to do so by court order or law, and will use it solely for the purpose of determining the qualifications of the company in response to this RFP.

B. Company Background / History Information:

1) Provide the business history of the primary Company. Include any changes in the Company’s status as the result of merger, acquisition, reorganization, or other changes in business organizational status. Identify when the company was organized, and, if a corporation, where incorporated and the number of years engaged in providing full-service contract operations under that name. Provide a comprehensive description of corporate ownership and/or operating name. The Company must hold all applicable licenses and must be licensed and currently registered to do business in the State of Connecticut.

2) Disclose if any person employed by, or holding any elected or appointed position in or for the City of Norwalk, has currently or has had in the past any direct or indirect personal interest in the Company. If so, describe the circumstances.

3) Disclose any business or personal relationship between any employee or agent of the company and any current or former employee or elected or appointed official of the City of Norwalk if such relationship does, or could, present the appearance of impropriety and / or conflict of interest.

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4) State whether your Company, or any of its employees or officers, has been named as a defendant in any litigation resulting from any contract operations for operations and maintenance. If so, name the owner and describe the circumstances, including the outcome of the litigation.

5) State whether your Company has ever been terminated, suspended, or replaced on a project other than those contracts that have been terminated due to completion. If so, name the owner and describe the circumstances.

C. Experience / References:

State your Company’s relevant prior experience for these services in Municipalities. Include with your submission a list of all clients served during the past five (5) years, complete with names, addresses and telephone numbers of contact persons for each. Provide client name, contact, address, and phone number of at least three (3) municipal clients that your company has, or is currently, servicing in a capacity similar to the scope of services described in this RFP.

D. Service Capabilities: Respondents must provide the following information

Merchant Credit Card Processing

1. Describe your company’s authoriza�on method; list and describe alterna�ve authoriza�on methods.

2. What authoriza�on methods do you support, and which do you recommend for each processing channel?

3. What are the procedures to reverse an incorrect authoriza�on?

4. Describe the monitoring and no�fica�on process if a transmission fails.

5. Outline the security measures in place for the protec�on of data transmited for processing.

6. Describe the security measures used to prevent unauthorized users access to the system and / or data.

7. Indicate if there has ever been a compromise to any credit card systems or applica�on through a security breach. If so, explain the process your company took to no�fy customers;

the steps taken to protect the customers’ data; and the safeguards put in place to prevent similar events in the future.

8. What are your daily workflow deadlines, and when are funds credited to a client’s account?

9. Can gross setlements be credited to the bank account daily? Can discounts and interchange fees be setled the subsequent month with a separate invoice?

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Merchant Credit Card Processing Capabili�es

10. Can you provide next-day setlement for Visa, MasterCard, AMEX and Discover network transac�ons?

11. What is the latest �me that sales transac�ons can be transmited to meet these setlement �mes?

12. How is setlement made by your Company (direct account debit, ACH, or invoice)? Please provide details.

13. Please describe how setlement amounts will be listed on the bank statement. Will they appear as one lump sum (meaning one amount for Visa, MasterCard, and Discover, one amount for AMEX)?

14. Describe how your Company supports BIN (Bank Informa�on Number) file management to differen�ate between debit card and credit card transac�ons.

15. Describe your Company’s process to ensure that transac�ons qualify for the lowest interchange category.

16. Describe your Company’s procedures to correct duplicate transac�ons.

17. Describe any limita�ons on the number of files/transac�ons:

a. Number of transac�ons contained in a batch?

b. Number of files transmited daily?

18. Are credit card chargebacks or other debit adjustments neted out from daily proceeds, or are they debited separately? Please describe your chargeback process in detail.

19. Describe your Company’s overall pricing structure. Is your Company’s offering a fixed cost plus surcharge fee, or an interchange plus fee? Complete the cost of services form on page 11, and add other unspecified costs required.

20. List and define transac�on fees for authoriza�on, setlement, network, communica�ons and any other fees within your response. Complete the cost of services form on page 11, and include any one-�me or set up charges, research fees, and all other fees or charges that will or could be charged (e.g., interchange rates, regular and ad hoc repor�ng costs).

The City shall not be obligated to pay for any fees not specified in the proposal.

21. Detail any change in associate fees (Visa and Master Card) that would be charged through your Company’s proposed program from the published interchange rates of these companies.

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Online Informa�on Repor�ng Services

21. Describe all reports available and the so�ware used to receive and view reports.

Provide an overview of repor�ng cycles, procedures, and capabili�es. Provide a sample of each detail and summary report available, or a link to sample reports online.

22. Are reports or other informa�on available via the Internet, PC access, or other online methods?

23. Define the download capabili�es, level of customiza�on, and drill down capabili�es available on online repor�ng and reports. Describe the daily and/or monthly reconcilia�on reports available to the City, and provide sample reports. The following categories need to be defined:

a) Standard reports (transac�on reports, funding reports, etc.)

b) Special repor�ng capabili�es

c) Level of detail available

d) Retrieval capabili�es

e) Imaging capabili�es

f) Repor�ng frequency

24. Does your Company have the capability of providing reports segregated by each City department for a twelve (12) month period? Please describe in detail.

25. If mul�ple merchant numbers are used, describe how mul�ple merchant numbers are reported and the flexibility afforded the merchant (City) for customizing the reports.

Can the merchant “roll up” specified groups for repor�ng independent of other groups?

26. Do reports include AMEX and Discover transac�ons for reconcilia�on and research purposes?

27. Is your Company’s online informa�on repor�ng system owned and operated internally, or is the system outsourced through a third party? If through a third party, please iden�fy the third party. Are improvements and changes to the service controlled by the bank or by a third party?

28. Can your Company provide a download of historical informa�on regarding transac�ons, refunds, and charge backs maintained in a database for access by the City? If so, what access method is available? Please describe it in detail.

29. How many business days of transac�on data are stored on the repor�ng system and available for the customer to access?

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30. Describe your Company’s capability to store and retrieve transac�on informa�on, including signatures for bank card transac�ons? Provide details.

31. Describe the daily and/or monthly reconcilia�on reports that are available from your

Company.

32. Describe your Company’s capability to track credit card transac�ons for each City department (if applicable), crea�ng an audit trail to be used by system administrators or supervisors.

Card Acceptance/Interface Processing

33. Describe the hardware necessary for acceptance of credit and debit cards (a) with card present, (b) when card not present, (c) via e-Commerce (internet), and (d) pin-based debit.

34. Does your Company provide the equipment on a lease or purchase basis? Do you offer an equipment maintenance plan? If so, what is the turnaround �me and costs involved?

35. Describe in detail how your Company can process transac�ons from various gateways.

Provide a list of all payment gateways supported and address all fees for setup, monthly recurring charges and per transac�ons fees on the Cost of Services Form.

36. Describe the process to add addi�onal third-party gateways.

Third-Party Processing

37. Explain your Company’s role; are you an acquirer, processor, other?

38. Do you rely on third par�es to process your merchant credit card transac�ons? If so, explain. Provide the years of service you have been doing business with them and describe your rela�onship with your third-party processor.

39. Describe in detail how your services are integrated with third party so�ware, websites and gateways.

40. Iden�fy your payment gateway provider and the number of years you have had a rela�onship with them.

Statutory/Regulatory or Card Associa�on Rules

41. Do you foresee any statutory, regulatory, or card associa�on rule modifica�ons that will change the merchant credit card processing industry?

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42. What is your Company’s approach on providing input into policy rules or regulatory changes related to credit and debit cards? What have been the results of your ac�vity?

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards

43. Describe your PCI-DSS compliance status and program.

44. How does your Company maintain your compliance with the PCI standards?

45. Is your Company and all of your partners, subcontractors and third-party processors, in compliance with all applicable PCI DSS standards? Has your Company been cer�fied as compliant by a qualified third-party assessor? Please name the assessor and state the most recent date of compliance assurance.

46. What is your role in suppor�ng merchant PCI compliance, and how do you help a merchant like the City maintain its compliance?

Alterna�ve Payment Services

47. Discuss op�onal and alterna�ve payment services that your Company believes may help the City expand merchant credit card payment op�ons for its departments.

A few alterna�ve payment op�ons that may be of interest to the City are:

a) Mobile Payments

1. Does your mobile repor�ng service work on the iPhone, Android

Phones and/or other devices?

2. What so�ware (names and version numbers) is required to use your mobile repor�ng services?

3. How many customers do you have using your mobile merchant card processing product? How many transac�ons are you processing monthly? How many dollars are processed monthly?

b) Contactless Payment Cards/Wallet Solu�ons i.e. MasterCard PayPass, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.

c) Marke�ng and promo�on campaigns to increase adop�on of merchant credit card payments.

Implementa�on

48. Provide a detailed descrip�on of the an�cipated implementa�on process, including tes�ng and a suggested Implementa�on Schedule. The Implementa�on Schedule must outline the milestone dates to accomplish each task, and should include details of the specific tasks, as well as dates and resources assigned and iden�fied for each milestone.

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49. Describe support provided during implementa�on, including training, technical assistance, user manuals, and on-site visits.

50. Describe support provided a�er implementa�on.

E. Resumes: Include resumes and project lists of the key personnel proposed to work on the project.

F. Subcontractor Information: Identify any subcontractors, if any, who will perform work on this project. The City retains the right to reject any and all proposed subcontractors. This provision applies through the term of the contract

G. Other Information: Provide any other information that you believe will assist the City of Norwalk in making its selection. Such information may be in this section of your proposal

H. Forms: Fully Completed Section 1 – Response Forms. All costs for the project shall be illustrated and absorbed per the “not to exceed” pricing on the Fee Proposal Form.

The fees and charges presented in this proposal shall remain firm for the initial award period (two years) and be renewed on the same terms and conditions for the potential additional periods of the contract with the following exceptions that shall be adjusted to reflect increases or decreases in all applicable rates, fees, and assessments established by MasterCard and Visa Interchange rates. The merchant service provider shall notify the City a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the effective date of any change of exclusions and / or service fee increases or decreases.

Fees not identified by your Company in your original proposal shall not be considered at any time during the initial contract or the potential extension periods.

2.12 Selection Process

Proposals will be initially reviewed by a Selection Committee. The Selection Committee may select the two or three firms that best meet the City’s requirements. These firms will then be invited to represent their proposals to and respond to questions from the Selection Committee.

Following this selection process, the Selection Committee will make a recommendation to the Common Council Committee. Approval to enter into a contract has to be authorized by the Norwalk Common Council.

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The City of Norwalk reserves the right to reject any and all proposals submitted, to request additional information from all proposers and to negotiate with one or more of the finalists regarding the terms of this engagement. The City of Norwalk also reserves the right to retain the proposals, use any ideas contained in the proposals and is not obligated in any manner to reimburse the proposers for the costs incurred in connection with responding to this Request for Proposals.

The Selection Committee intends to recommend the firm that, in its opinion, best meets the City’s needs, not necessarily the firm with the lowest fees.

The anticipated selection schedule is as follows:

RFP Interviews September 2025 Common Council Committee Review September 2025 Common Council Review September 2025

2.13 Criteria for Evaluating Proposal Submissions

The City of Norwalk shall be responsible for reviewing the proposals received and will further evaluate them, using the following criteria. The City reserves its rights to examine any other criteria and take the same under consideration and to reject any firm or proposals despite its compliance with these criteria if it determines that to do so would be in its best interests.

Criteria Weight

Company’s Qualifications 20%

Company’s proposed personnel, organizational strength, industry certifications and achievements 20%

Proposed Fees 30%

Proposed reporting capabilities – depth and ease of accessing transactional data 10%

Proposed timeline and schedule 10%

References - Comparable projects completed 5%

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Criteria Weight

Financial Profile of the Company 5%

Total Possible Points 100

2.14 Prime Proposer Responsibility

Firm’s submitting proposals to this RFP may utilize the services of subcontractors. If subcontractors are planned to be used, this should be clearly explained in the proposal. The prime proposer will be responsible for the entire contract performance whether or not subcontractor is to perform.

All corporate information required in this RFP must be included for each proposed subcontractor. The proposal must also include copies of any agreements to be executed between the prime proposer and any subcontractors in the event…