1-RFP-2025-008 - Court Criminal Justice Collections Services.docx

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Procurement Division

RFP-2025-008: Court & Criminal Justice Collections Services Issued: August 18, 2025 Closes: September 29, 2025

MILWAUKEE COUNTY

Department of Administrative Services

Request for Proposal RFP-2025-008 Court & Criminal Justice Collections Services

Access to RFP and all related documents can be found:

On the County’s website at: https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Admin-Services/Bids-and-RFPs

Through the County’s Bonfire Portal at: https://countymilwaukee.bonfirehub.com

Table of Contents

Table of Figures

Information Summary Sheet

represented by The Department of Administrative Services Procurement Division

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Department of Administrative Services, Procurement Division 633 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 901

Phone: 414-278-4129 Email: Lael.MacLellan@milwaukeecountywi.gov

Introduction to Milwaukee County Milwaukee County was formed in 1835 when it was part of the Michigan Territory. Before that, different Native American tribes lived there, and French priests and traders explored the area starting in 1674. The name “Milwaukee” is thought to come from a Native American word that means “good land.”

Today, about 952,000 people live in Milwaukee County. It is the most populated county in Wisconsin and the 47th largest in the United States. The County is on the shores of Lake Michigan and covers 241 square miles. It has cities, suburbs, and rural areas. 19 municipalities make up Milwaukee County, from the City of Milwaukee with 595,047 people to small villages like River Hills with 1,597 people.

Milwaukee County has three parts of government: the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch. The County Executive is the County’s chief executive officer. The County Board of Supervisors makes laws and decisions about how to spend the County’s money. The Chief Judge represents the judicial branch. Other important elected officials at the County include the Comptroller, Clerk of Courts, County Clerk, District Attorney, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, Treasurer, and municipal judges.

Milwaukee County collects property taxes, builds and fixes highways, plans land use, and takes care of parks and recreation areas. It also follows certain state laws, like keeping court records, managing elections, keeping birth and death records, marriage licenses, and property deeds, and enforcing state criminal laws. The County also runs state programs like health and human services, child support services, and court-related programming.

The County’s Vision is “By achieving racial equity, Milwaukee will be the healthiest County in Wisconsin.” This means the County wants to make sure that race does not affect health outcomes and that everyone’s outcomes get better. To achieve the Vision, Milwaukee County is dismantling institutional racism in County government by establishing policies, practices, and a culture that creates intentional inclusion, reduces inequities, and invests in equity and equitable policies going forward.

The County’s mission is “to provide high-quality, responsive services that enhance self-sufficiency, personal safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life for its entire people.”

Milwaukee County is a Midwestern hub for business, travel, industry, recreation, and culture. The County’s strong sense of community makes it a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

to the Administering Departments Procurement Division – DAS (DAS-Procurement) The Procurement Division of the Department of Administrative Services (“Procurement”) sources and contracts for supplies, materials, equipment, and services that County Departments and Divisions need. Procurement creates standards, writes specifications, signs contracts and purchase orders, handles Requests for Proposals (“RFPs”) and Invitations to Bid (“ITBs”), and helps the Facilities Management Division, Architecture, Engineering, and Environmental Services Section sell old or extra supplies and equipment.

In Milwaukee County, the County Executive has the power to make purchases and sign contracts for all County property that is not zoned as park land. The County Executive currently administratively enforces the rules for public purchasing in Chapter 32, Subchapter II (Procurement Division) and Chapter 56.30 (Professional Services) of the Milwaukee Code of Ordinances where possible. The County may deviate from these rules where needed to make sure the public procurement process is fair, open, transparent, equitable, and aligns with best practices. The County Executive retains the authority to make these changes under the law. The Procurement Division works under the County Executive to help County Departments and Divisions follow the rules in Chapter 32, Subchapter II, and Chapter 56.30.

The staff of the Procurement Division follow the NIGP and UPPCC Code of Ethics for public procurement. They are members of the National Institute of Government Procurement and the Wisconsin Association of Public Procurement.

Procurement strives to empower the County’s divisions and departments through a fair, equitable, ethical, and transparent procurement process for goods and services purchased by Milwaukee County and seek to uphold the public trust in everything we do.

Office of Economic Inclusion A small-business owner, regardless the level of business experience and stage of development, is seeking ways to keep moving forward and to stay motivated to maintain the momentum of a positive controlled growth of their business.

On average Milwaukee County procures over $120 million per year in services, goods, and infrastructure projects.

Milwaukee County’s Office of Economic Inclusion (“OEI”) is a partner to minority-owned, women-owned, and small businesses. OEI provides Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (“DBE”) and Targeted Business Enterprise (“TBE”) companies information about upcoming contracts in different business sectors and about procurement opportunities in the County. OEI’s goal is to make sure DBE and TBE companies are given an equitable opportunity to participate in County contracts and win County business. OEI advocates for DBE and TBE participation in as many County contracts as possible and works to improve opportunities for equitable contracting.

OEI’s main functions include:

· Certifying socially and economically disadvantaged individuals’ businesses under the federal DBE program and Milwaukee County’s TBE program.

· Certifying small business enterprises (“SBE”) for the County’s TBE program.

· Maintaining an active directory of all certified firms.

· Monitoring contracts ensure primes meet contractual DBE and TBE participation goals. OEI uses B2Gnow to review contracts and receive and monitor prime and subcontractor payments. Primes must report subcontractor payments using B2Gnow to enable OEI to accurately track and report on payments and contract compliance.

· Submitting routine reports to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) and the Federal Transportation Administration (“FTA”) on DBE and TBE participation associated with Federal and Milwaukee County spend.

For more information on the Office of Economic Inclusion and Targeted Business Enterprise requirements in County contracting and for this solicitation, please see Section 3.4: Introduction to the County’s Vision of Achieving Racial Equity.

Risk Management Division The Risk Management Division is part of Milwaukee County's Department of Administrative Services. The Risk Management team oversees all lines of liability claim administration, self-insurance functions, excess insurance procurement, safety and loss prevention and ensures proper risk transfer techniques for all the County's contractual obligations. Risk Management establishes the insurance requirements for each public procurement based on the goods or services the County plans to buy and assists Procurement in assessing potential risks throughout the solicitation process as needed.

Information Management Services Division – DAS (DAS-IMSD) The Information Management Services Division (“IMSD”) is responsible for the management, oversight, and development of effective information and technology services for the County. IMSD is focused on identifying and implementing high quality, innovative, and transformative IT solutions that improve government performance, efficiency, and transparency at all levels. IMSD is made up of the following teams:

Infrastructure and Operations Includes data center, network / telecommunications, IT security, end user device, and service desk management.

Data Center and Network / Telecommunications Management Provides research, acquisition, installation, maintenance, and support services for countywide telecommunications and data network infrastructure, as well as server, storage, backup, and Office 365 environments. The network / telecommunications team administer voice, video, conferencing, and data communications systems and provide oversight of the architecture, design, planning, configuration, and provisioning of wide-area and local-area networks, wireless networks, and internet services. The data center team maintains and supports server and storage infrastructure, provides oversight of backup and disaster recovery programs, and manages the Office 365 cloud environment for email, Microsoft Office products, SharePoint, and OneDrive for Business.

End User Device and Service Desk Management Enhances customer service and end-user uptime using technology standards, IT service management best practices, and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) governance procedures. The Service Desk is the central point of contact for users to initiate service requests for computers, software, mobile technology, and printers, report incidents, manage change requests, and manage problem tickets.

IT Security Management Provides security awareness, policies and procedures, access controls, network security and monitoring for the County. This team develops and delivers security awareness training, administers email campaigns, conducts periodic knowledge testing (phishing expeditions), develops and periodically reviews security policies, procedures and standards, identifies and periodically reviews critical applications, manages security incidents, manages and reviews identity and access management, continuously monitors network and system availability, oversees remote access services, network security and firewall management, and mitigates technological risk through securing, monitoring, and auditing technology systems and data.

Project Management Office Provides IT project management to improve the speed and value of Milwaukee County IMSD technologies through stable and well-ordered project methods. The PMO team provides project management leadership, standards, repeatable processes, and best practice methods to deliver IT projects on time and on budget.

IT Governance and Business Solutions IT Governance Provides oversight of administrative and strategic functions, including IT contract management, IT financial and vendor management, enterprise IT governance, employee development, engagement, standards and metrics, and IT quality assurance.

Business Solutions Provide technology, business development, and digital transformation services by working directly with Departments and outside agencies to align technology solutions to departmental strategies and enterprise roadmaps, drive value within client departments, and empower them to improve business operations.

Application Services Promotes an enterprise strategy to advance countywide IT maturity and sustainability for application design, delivery, and support. This office delivers and supports innovative, cost-conscious software solutions to enhance departments’ capabilities to better serve their constituents.

to the Clerk of Circuit Court’s Office The Clerk of Circuit Court serves the community by managing the administrative, recordkeeping, and clerical functions that support the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, and is committed to excellence in customer service. The office manages nearly 300 employees, processes over 150,000 case files annually, and operates with an annual budget of approximately $42 million.

The Clerk’s Office comprises three divisions:

· The Criminal Division (Room 117, Milwaukee County Safety Building, 821 W. State Street, Milwaukee) administers criminal and traffic cases and records, including felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence, and criminal intake proceedings.

· The Civil Division (Room 104, Milwaukee County Courthouse, 901 N. 9th Street, Milwaukee) administers civil and family cases and records, which include large-claims, small-claims, eviction, paternity, and divorce proceedings.

· The Children’s Court Division (Room 1530, Vel R. Phillips Youth and Family Justice Center, 10201 W. Watertown Plank Road, Wauwatosa) administers cases and records which include permanency, Children in Need of Protective Services (CHIPS), guardianship, and delinquency proceedings.

The Clerk of Circuit Court is also responsible for Milwaukee County’s Jury Management Office.

The current Clerk of Circuit Court is Anna Maria Hodges.

Clerk Hodges was elected as the 30th Clerk of Circuit Court of Milwaukee County on November 8, 2022. She previously served as the Acting Clerk of Circuit Court in early 2022, Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court from 2018 to 2022, and Assistant Chief Deputy Clerk of Circuit Court and Civil Division Administrator from 2006 to 2018.

A public servant for over 30 years, Ms. Hodges also served as Court Coordinator and Deputy Director of Litigation Services for the First Judicial Administrative District, Deputy Director of Governor Tommy Thompson’s Milwaukee office, and Constituent Services Specialist in the office of Milwaukee County Executive F. Thomas Ament.

Ms. Hodges, a resident of Brown Deer, graduated magna cum laude from Cardinal Stritch University with a bachelor's degree in management. She is a proud mother and grandmother, and an active member of her community and church.

to The County’s Vision of Achieving Racial Equity In 2019, Milwaukee County was the first local government in the United States to declare racism a public health crisis. In 2020, the County set a strategic goal to make Milwaukee County the healthiest in Wisconsin, with a mission of enhancing quality of life for all residents.

Milwaukee County’s Vision: By achieving racial equity, Milwaukee is the healthiest county in Wisconsin. Racial equity will be achieved when race no longer predicts health outcomes and outcomes for everyone improve. or more information on the County’s vision and the steps we are taking to achieve it, visit Vision (milwaukee.gov).

We seek to achieve our vision by dismantling institutional racism and building policies, practices, and a culture that ensure race is no longer a predictor of health outcomes. Strategic focus areas include creating intentional inclusion, bridging gaps, and investing in equity.

Vendors selected for County contracts are expected to align with and support this vision through equitable business practices, workforce diversity, and culturally competent service delivery, particularly in services with direct community impact such as collections.

Understanding Our Terms In 2019, the Milwaukee County Executive signed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis in Milwaukee County and established a vision for the County to become the healthiest county in Wisconsin through the achievement of racial equity. Vendors responding to this RFP are expected to collaborate with the County in achieving racial equity and commit to continuous improvement in equitable practices within their operations.

Offerors must consider this policy and the associated terms when responding to Targeted Business Enterprise requests, subcontracting, and proposing services, especially those services with a direct impact on traditionally underserved populations.

Racial Equity From infant mortality to life expectancy, race is a clear predictor of health. Milwaukee County’s vision begins with ensuring equitable access to opportunity across all our communities. Racial equity will be achieved when race is no longer a predictor of health outcomes in Milwaukee County.

The Difference Between Equity & Equality Equity means everyone has the resources and opportunities they need to succeed, which may require different levels of support. Equality means everyone gets the same resources and opportunities regardless of need. The County’s goal is to achieve equity - not simply equality - ensuring every resident can thrive regardless of race, background, or economic status.

Why Racial Equity Matters The history of segregation, discrimination, and racism in the County is recognized and irrefutable. While our policies and practices may not be explicitly racist today, our institution was built on a foundation of whiteness, and our status quo practices carry that bias through time. This doesn’t mean we’re racist, but for too long we have been comfortable with the status quo. It is time to stop delaying and address institutional and structural racism head-on. There is widespread readiness and willingness to address and fix racial inequity, and it is time to take the reins and make real change for future generations.

A Racial Equity Lens A racial equity lens is a concept and approach used to examine and address racial disparities and inequities. It deliberately considers the impact of policies, practices, and decisions on different racial and ethnic groups and takes steps to reduce or eliminate disparities. Key aspects include:

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3.2.

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Recognition of Disparities: Recognizing that racial disparities and inequities exist in various aspects of society, such as education, healthcare, criminal justice, employment, and housing. These disparities often result from historical and systemic racism.

Data Analysis: A racial equity lens involves analyzing data and information through a racial and ethnic lens. This means looking at data broken down by race and ethnicity to understand how different groups are affected differently by various policies and practices.

Impact Assessment: Policies, programs, and initiatives are assessed for their potential impact on racial and ethnic disparities. This involves evaluating whether these actions could exacerbate existing disparities or help reduce them.

Equity-Centered Decision-Making: Decision-makers use the information gathered through a racial equity lens to inform their choices. This may involve making policy changes, allocating resources differently, or implementing targeted interventions to address racial disparities.

Community Engagement: Engaging with affected communities and seeking their input is an essential part of applying a racial equity lens. This ensures that the perspectives and experiences of marginalized communities are considered in decision-making processes.

Accountability and Monitoring: Continual monitoring and evaluation are crucial to ensure that efforts to address racial disparities are effective. Accountability mechanisms are put in place to track progress and adjust as needed.

Intersectionality: Recognizing that individuals may belong to multiple marginalized groups (e.g., race, gender, socioeconomic status), a racial equity lens often considers the intersection of various identities and how they compound disparities.

Policy and System Change: Ultimately, applying a racial equity lens seeks to bring about structural and systemic changes to create a more just and equitable society, where all racial and ethnic groups have equal opportunities and outcomes.

Understanding Our Plan In Milwaukee County, we are taking an all-hands approach to realizing our vision that by achieving racial equity, Milwaukee is the healthiest county in Wisconsin. Together we will dismantle institutional racism in our organization and build up policies, practices and a culture that ensures race no longer predicts health outcomes, and outcomes for everyone improve.

Why We Need to Use a Racial Equity Lens To ensure racial equity is addressed and race no longer predicts health outcomes for constituents in Milwaukee County, decisions must be made using a racial equity lens. This lens helps us assess how resources are distributed.

For decades, governments have allocated and reallocated funding in similar cycles without always doing due diligence on the ground to understand unintended consequences. That doesn’t mean money was spent incorrectly, or that it shouldn’t have been spent. But when you go to a neighborhood on the South Side, and a similar one on the North Side, it is clear they do not look or feel the same.

By applying a racial equity lens, we can examine how past decisions created inequities, and ensure new policies and practices correct, rather than reinforce, those disparities. This requires honest evaluation, accountability, and a willingness to change how decisions are made and resources allocated.

We are not looking to swap or to take away one for another… we are just looking at the best way forward to ensure all communities have access to what their government is supposed to be there to provide.

Doesn’t all this mean you’re going to shift resources to some communities and away from others?

In short, when a tide rises it lifts all boats. To lift the tide in Milwaukee County, we are allocating our limited resources to residents and communities, those deemed most in need. Directing these resources where they traditionally have not been directed before will strengthen the communities who may have a stronger need for resources/basic services. In targeting these resources, all of Milwaukee County will thrive.

How We’ll Use a Racial Equity Lens Milwaukee County will apply a racial equity lens to all major decisions, programs, and policies. This means deliberately evaluating how each choice affects different racial and ethnic groups and whether it reduces or reinforces disparities. The goal is to address historical and ongoing injustices and create a more inclusive and equitable society for everyone.

Using this approach, we will:

· Review data by race and ethnicity to identify disparities.

· Assess the potential impacts of decisions on historically marginalized communities.

· Adjust policies, funding, and practices to close equity gaps.

· Hold ourselves accountable through transparency, monitoring, and reporting.

· Engage directly with communities most affected to ensure their voices guide solutions.

This work will not be a one-time exercise, but a continuous practice embedded into County operations and decision-making.

How We’ll Achieve Equity Milwaukee County will achieve equity by dismantling institutional racism within our organization and building policies, practices, and a culture that ensure race no longer predicts health outcomes.

Our work focuses on three strategic pillars:

· Creating Intentional Inclusion – Embedding equity in every policy, program, and practice.

· Bridging the Gap – Closing disparities across health, housing, employment, and justice outcomes.

· Investing in Equity – Prioritizing resources for communities most impacted by inequities.

Through these actions, we will make lasting structural changes that improve outcomes for all residents and move us toward becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin.

What We Expect From Our Vendors Milwaukee County expects its vendors to share our commitment to racial equity. This means:

· Equitable Business Practices – Demonstrating diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring, training, and leadership.

· Culturally Competent Service Delivery – Ensuring services are responsive to the needs of diverse communities.

· Collaboration with the County – Partnering with us to apply a racial equity lens in all aspects of service.

· Transparency and Accountability – Reporting on progress toward equity goals and being open to feedback.

Vendors providing collections services must also ensure that debtor interactions are respectful, unbiased, and consistent with the County’s racial equity vision. This includes avoiding practices that disproportionately burden communities of color and working with the County to identify and correct disparities in collections outcomes.

Vendor Conduct Vendors are expected to abide by the Milwaukee County Contractor Code of Conduct and conduct themselves with the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and respect. This includes:

· Treating all individuals with dignity, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, or background.

· Ensuring communication with debtors is courteous, transparent, and free of bias.

· Complying with all applicable federal and state laws, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Wisconsin collection regulations.

· Maintaining confidentiality and safeguarding personal information in compliance with state, federal, and County data protection policies.

The Awardee must also ensure that collection efforts do not create disparate impacts on communities of color. Debtor interactions should be monitored for equity and fairness, and the Awardee must provide training to staff on cultural competence and implicit bias.

Culturally Competent Services Vendors must ensure services are delivered in ways that recognize and respect the cultural, linguistic, and social diversity of Milwaukee County residents. This includes:

· Providing communication that is clear, accessible, and available in multiple languages where appropriate.

· Training staff in cultural competence, implicit bias, and trauma-informed practices.

· Ensuring policies and procedures account for the lived experiences of diverse communities.

· Adjusting practices as needed to meet the needs of traditionally underserved groups.

For collections services specifically, vendors must demonstrate awareness of how collection activities may affect different communities and implement approaches that reduce inequities in outcomes. Vendors should work with the County to monitor debtor interactions for fairness and to avoid practices that disproportionately burden communities of color.

Increasing Spend with Marginalized Businesses Milwaukee County expects vendors to increase business opportunities for historically marginalized groups, including people of color, women, veterans, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities. This may include:

· Subcontracting with Targeted Business Enterprises (TBEs).

· Partnering with small, local, and diverse businesses in the supply chain.

· Reporting spend with marginalized businesses as part of ongoing contract performance.

Vendors must submit documentation of their subcontracting plans and provide regular reports to the County on utilization of TBEs and diverse businesses.

For collection services, vendors should also consider partnerships with local community-based organizations that have cultural and linguistic capacity to engage fairly with diverse debtor populations.

Non-Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action Vendors must comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws related to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and non-discrimination. This includes, but is not limited to:

· Prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected class.

· Maintaining an affirmative action plan, where required by law.

· Providing equal opportunity in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, and all other employment practices.

· Cooperating with County monitoring and reporting requirements.

Vendors must also certify compliance with Milwaukee County’s ordinances and be prepared to submit workforce composition data and affirmative action documentation upon request.

Collections Services Program Overview Information Accuracy & Purpose This section provides Offerors with current and historical information about the Collections Services Program which Offerors may use when developing Proposals. The information is provided from best available sources. It is accurate and correct to the best of the County’s knowledge as of the date of issuance of this RFP.

Offerors should perform their own discovery and ask questions during the course of the RFP process to ensure they have a complete and accurate understanding of the current scope of services and the expected future scope of Services required.

Background on Collection Authority Milwaukee County currently operates a centralized Collections Services program supporting the Clerk of Circuit Court and Combined Courts Operations. The County intends for the future awarded contract to be flexible and allow any County division or department to “piggyback” onto the contract under the same terms, conditions, and rates. Potential future users include the Department of Health & Human Services – Housing Division, Milwaukee County Parks, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO).

Clerk of Circuit Court Authority The Clerk of Circuit Court is authorized by Wisconsin State Statutes to perform or contract for the services requested in this RFP:

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Collection of court-imposed penalties through contract with debt collector – Authorization to contract for the collection of fines/forfeitures, surcharges, assessments, and attorney fees is granted in Wis. Stats. §§ 59.40(4) and 59.52(28). This authority was also granted by Milwaukee County Board resolution dated February 1, 1996, file number 96-99.

Charging a designated fee for use of credit or debit cards – Authorization for the Clerk of Circuit Court to charge and collect a designated service fee for the use of a credit or debit card is granted in Wis. Stat. § 59.40(4)(b).

Other County Departments and Divisions Other County departments and divisions, including the Housing Division, Parks, and MCSO, do not have equivalent statutory or ordinance authority to contract directly for collection services. There are no Wisconsin statutes, Milwaukee County ordinances, or administrative policies that expressly govern debt collection by non-Courts departments.

These departments may, however, enforce unpaid obligations using methods permitted under State law, County ordinance, or established policy or practice. Examples include:

4.2.2.

Department of Health and Human Services - Housing Division. Collect past-due judgments against landlords for unreported tenant income or household discrepancies; direct collection efforts; use of the State of Wisconsin Tax Refund Intercept Program (TRIP); payment by phone, dedicated payment website, and in-person processing; coordination and management of TRIP processing.

Milwaukee County Parks Department. Issue parking citations under County ordinance, with escalating penalties; unpaid citations may result in registration suspension/refusal and referral to TRIP after statutory deadlines.

Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office. Collect payments for County traffic citations, court judgments, and County parking tickets. Administrative remedies follow applicable state law and court enforcement procedures.

Compliance Requirements Any debt collection activities conducted for these non-Courts departments under the contract must:

4.2.3.

Remain within the scope of authority available to each division under applicable laws and policies.

Comply with Wisconsin debt collection licensing requirements (Wis. Stat. Ch. 218) for any third-party agency engaged.

Adhere to the Wisconsin Consumer Act (Wis. Stat. Ch. 427) and other applicable federal, state, and local consumer protection rules, including proper debt validation, dispute handling, and prohibitions on harassment.

If any law, regulation, ordinance, policy, or administrative guidance changes the County’s rights, powers, or duties regarding collections, the County may modify, add, or remove services under the contract for the affected division(s) or cancel those services entirely to ensure compliance.

Program Purpose & Function The incumbent Collection Services Program provider (the “Vendor”) assists the Clerk of Circuit Courts in collecting past due judgments on felony, criminal misdemeanor, criminal traffic, and local county traffic ordinance violations as well as on state forfeiture type cases. Past due judgments include debt for restitution ordered paid to victims, fine/forfeitures, surcharges, assessments, attorney fees, cost of transcripts, forfeited signature bonds, wage/income assignments, debt converted from a Department of Corrections debt to a Clerk of Circuit Court debt, and the cost of NSF checks, as authorized by Wisconsin State Statutes.

In addition to debt collection, the incumbent Vendor assists the Clerk of Circuit Courts through the utilization of direct collection efforts and use of the State of Wisconsin Tax Refund Intercept Program (“TRIP”).

The incumbent Vendor:

4.3.

Provides availability to make payment by phone and a dedicated web site for using credit and debit cards 24/7, 365 days a year.

Provides a staff person onsite outside Traffic Court at the Milwaukee County Safety Building each morning on business days to process payment by credit/debit cards and take checks for payments for cases disposed of on same day.

Coordinates and manages all TRIP processing.

Ensures the transfer of all uncollected debt from any previous debt collector or from the County when it receives any new collection account[footnoteRef:1]. [1: This also applies if/when a competitive solicitation process (such as this RFP) results in a change in the Collections Vendor. The Collections Vendor must assist with and ensure the successful completion of account and data transfers from any incumbent Vendor at contract start, and to any successor Vendor at contract close. ]

Account History Prior to Placement Prior to placing an account for collection with a debt collector, the County may:

4.4.

Pursue any and all methods of collections deemed appropriate as granted by State law, County ordinance, or established policy or practice, and Inform the debtor that failure to make payment could result in placing their account with a debt collector.

Actions taken by the County may include, but are not limited to:

handing out payment options at the time a citation is issued, mailing default judgment notices, providing payment slips in court, mailing reminder notices, granting extensions to pay, creating monthly payment plans, and preparing failure to pay actions.

In addition, the County will use all of the Court’s enforcement actions, including suspension of drivers’ licenses, civil judgments, and fine & cost commitments to the County’s Community Reintegration Center, as authorized by Wisconsin Statutes.

The County typically refers accounts to the Collections Vendor ten (10) days after the judgment becomes past due.

Request The request helps Suppliers understand what goods and services the County wants to obtain using the RFP process. It has a summary of what the County expects the Supplier to do if they win an award (the “Scope of Work”) and a list of minimum requirements that interested Suppliers must meet.

This RFP document gives Suppliers the basic information they need to submit a Proposal. The County wants Suppliers to share their experience and ideas in their responses. They should provide creative and forward-thinking solutions to the issues mentioned. Suppliers must use this RFP document, its attachments, and any updates as a guide when writing their Proposals.

Make sure your organization can provide all the services according to the requirements in the Scope of Work. If a Supplier cannot provide all the services as specified, their Proposal will not pass the first check and will be considered non-responsive. Non-responsive Proposals are not scored.

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Request Summary Milwaukee County invites responses to this RFP from qualified and experienced debt collection service organizations or entities capable of servicing municipal and municipal court debt accounts for an organization of substantially similar size and service profile to the County.

The County prefers Suppliers with past experience using the State of Wisconsin Department of Revenue’s Tax Refund Intercept Program (“TRIP”).

The County’s goal is to provide debt collection and TRIP processing for debts resulting from court-ordered judgments, as well as for the collection of unpaid fines and fees from Milwaukee County Parks and the MCSO.

The County intends to award a two (2) year contract with up to two (2) optional two (2) year renewals to the winning Offeror under this solicitation.

Offeror Minimum Qualifications & Responsibilities Minimum Qualifications To be considered for this opportunity, Offerors must:

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Provide evidence that the Offeror:

Is currently, or can become by no later than October 1, 2025, licensed to perform debt collection and related services in the State of Wisconsin.

Has prior security clearance and is approved by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (“WDoR”) to access the WdoR computer system(s).

Has provided, implemented, and utilized an 800 number to accept debtor payments by credit or debit card.

Has at least five (5) consecutive years of experience providing collection services for local, state, or federal government clients.

Provide:

A list of at least three (3) references (including name, title, organization, and contact information) from current or former clients[footnoteRef:2] for whom the Offeror provides or provided a substantially similar service. [2: If a former client is used as a reference, please ensure the contact provided is a current employee of the organization and that any phone numbers or email addresses are valid. Any former client references must have received services from your organization between 2015 and 2025. ]

A copy of your 2022, 2023, and 2024 audits of PCI DSS compliance as required by state, local, and federal law for your entity. If you did not provide services which required PCI DSS compliance audits in 2022, 2023, and 2024, provide the three most recent years’ audits.

Certify that the proposing entity has not been disqualified or debarred by any other state, local, or federal government entity from participating in the entity’s competitive solicitations, or from working with that entity for reasons of contract breach or non-compliance.

Agree that, should the Offeror win an award under this RFP, it will:

Enter into a Contract with the County and comply with all terms and conditions required by state or local law, regulation, or ordinance.

Ensure that any subcontractors used to provide services, including the Offeror’s TBE partner if applicable, have legally binding contracts with the Offeror to provide any services the Offeror includes in its Proposal response.

Be wholly responsible for the performance of any subcontracted vendors who provide services related to the Offeror’s responsibilities under any awarded Contract.

Guarantee that its Proposal does not contain proposed services which would require Milwaukee County to enter into a contract or payment relationship with any third party, including the Offeror’s proposed subcontractors, if any.

Non-Responsibility & Non-Responsiveness The County considers any of the following to be proof of non-responsibility or non-responsiveness:

1.1.1 5.2.2.

Submission of Incomplete Proposals.

Submission of Alternative Proposals.

Submission of any Proposal that:

Requires the County to contract directly with any third party for any reason.

Fails to demonstrate the required experience or provide proof of financial solvency.

Disqualification or disbarment from participating in competitive solicitations or contracts issued by any other state, local, or federal government entity.

Targeted Business Enterprise Participation Milwaukee County encourages Offerors to include participation from certified Targeted Business Enterprises (“TBEs”) in their Proposals. While there is no TBE participation goal for this RFP, Offerors may receive bonus points for including meaningful TBE participation OR for the use of diverse, non-TBE-certified firms.

Milwaukee County TBE Program For projects that are not funded by U.S. DOT, FTA or FAA, Milwaukee County has a TBE program. The TBE program widens the pool of potential minority, women, and small business enterprises to contract services with. A definition of a TBE is any company that is certified as a DBE under WisUCP, certified as a minority- or women-owned business with the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration (Diversity Supplier Program), SBE Certified by Milwaukee County or registered as a small business in the SBA SAM registry.

A TBE business is a for profit entity as a DBE, minority, women, or small business and must be certified or registered with at least one of the following:

· ACDBE/DBE certified by the WisUCP (Milwaukee County, City of Madison, WisDOT or Dane County)

· MBE certified as a minority-owned business with the State of Wisconsin DOA

· WBE certified as a women-owned business with the State of Wisconsin DOA

· SBE registered (by federal size standards, NAICS and registered in SAM or SBE certified through Milwaukee County (does not include SBE certification for City of Milwaukee or Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District) Eligibility Criteria & Registration DBE/ACDBE/SBE Certification Program To qualify as a DBE, ACDBE or SBE, Suppliers must meet the following criteria as defined in 49 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations):

· Be a for-profit business.

· Be socially or economically disadvantaged.

· Small business must 51% owned by a socially and economically disadvantaged individual(s).

· Have control over business decisions.

· Be a small-business enterprise according to SBA small business standards.

· Have a personal net worth under $1.32 million.

Firms seeking DBE/ACDBE/SBE certification will need to complete an online application via the Diversity and Compliance Management System (B2G) portal. Applications are processed on a first come, first served basis.

Be advised that the certifying agency may take up to 90 days to process DBE, ACDBE or SBE applications.

We ask that you provide as much of the documentation that is requested to avoid delays in the application process.

If there is any information missing, you will receive an email notification from your B2G account notifying you that your application is on hold. Response time to the request is crucial in the timely processing of your application.

If you are submitting a Bid or RFP and certification has not been obtained, firms will need to provide proof/evidence that their certification application is in process prior to the RFP submission date. Please note that credit for participation cannot be counted until after the firm has been certified. Any work done prior to certification/registration will not be counted. Also, should the firm not receive certification, the prime remains responsible for any assigned goals and may incur penalties for not meeting the supplied goal.

TBE Certification Program To register as a Targeted Business Enterprise (TBE), we ask that you submit proof that you are a certified agency through the Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program as an MBE/WBE or that you are a firm registered with Sam.gov as a Small Business Enterprise.