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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

for

City of Baton Rouge – Parish of East Baton Rouge

Banking Services 2027-2031

Solicitation No.: 2026-07-0210

Release Date: August 6, 2026

RFP Opening Date: September 16, 2026 PM ii

KEY REMINDERS TO PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS

• Read the solicitation in its entirety.

• Contact the designated purchasing official only.

• Take advantage of the question and answer period.

• Provide complete answers and descriptions.

• Review the RFP and your proposal before submitting.

• Submit your proposal on time, before the deadline.

• Retain the complete set of specifications and contract documents for your files.

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Table of Contents

1. Purpose

2. General Instructions

3. Receipt of Proposals

4. Schedule of Events

Proposer Inquiry

5. Scope of Work

5.1 Account Maintenance

5.2 Account Analysis

5.3 Account Debits

5.4 Account Reconciliation

5.5 Deposits

5.6 Stop Payments

5.7 Returned Checks

5.8 Wire Transfers

5.9 Safekeeping and Collateral Pricing Services

5.10 Online Data Communication

5.11 Credit Card Processing

5.12 Direct Deposits

5.13 Lockbox - EMS

5.14 FDIC Insurance Fees

5.15 Cash Investment Services

5.16 One-Time Charges

5.17 Other Proposed Options

6. Additional Information and Other Requirements

Regulation Notices

Account Balances

Bank Statements

Right to Audit Records

Financial Reports

Bank Failure – Unfavorable Rating

Administrative Monitoring

Overdrafts

Location of Fiscal Agency Bank

Community Reinvestment Act Rating and Community Reinvestment Plan

Organization iv

Items Not Covered by the Banking Services RFP

Other Service Proposals

7. Evaluation and Selection

Cost Evaluation

8. Notice of Intent to Award

9. Contract Negotiations

10. Ownership

Confidential Information, Trade Secrets, and Proprietary Information

11. Legibility / Clarity

12. Effects

Changes, Addenda, & Withdrawals

Deliverables

Acceptance

Rejection

Order of Precedence

13. Required Attachments with Proposal

14. Sample Agreement

15. Taxes

16. Proposal Submission Requirements

Submission Documents

17. Potential Period of Agreement

18. Claims or Controversies

19. Debriefing

20. Errors and Omissions in Proposal

21. Waiver of Administrative Informalities

22. Minimum Scope of Insurance

23. Corporation Requirements

24. Proposer Responsibilities

25. Use of Sub-contractors

26. Civil Rights Compliance

27. Governing Law

28. Audit of Records

29. Liability & Risk Management

Insurance

Indemnification v

30. Written or Oral Discussions / Presentation

31. Payment for Services

32. Termination

Termination for Cause

Termination for Lack of Appropriated Funds

Termination for Convenience

33. Assignment

34. Funds Use

35. Proposer’s Certification of No Suspension or Debarment

36. Independent Proposer

37. Conflict of Interest / Confidentiality

38. Use of City-Parish’s Property

39. Waiver

40. Force Majeure

41. Federal Clauses

Remedies

Equal Employment Opportunity

Davis-Bacon and Copeland Anti-Kickback Act

Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act

Rights to Interventions Made Under a Contract or Agreement

Byrd Anti-Lobbying Amendment

Procurement Recovered Materials

Program Fraud and False or Fraudulent Statements or Related Acts

Compliance with Federal Law, Regulations, and Executive Orders

No Obligation by Federal Government

ATTACHMENT A

NEEDED SERVICES & DELIVERABLES

ATTACHMENT B

PROPOSAL FORMS

ATTACHMENT B-1

BANKING SERVICES BID RESPONSE FORM

ATTACHMENT C

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

ATTACHMENT D

SAMPLE CONRACT

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ATTACHMENT E

CERTIFICATION

ATTACHMENT F

CITY-PARISH INVESTMENT POLICY

ATTACHMENT G

AFFIDAVIT

ATTACHMENT H

PROPOSER’S ORGANIZATION

ATTACHMENT I

CORPORATE RESOLUTION

ATTACHMENT J………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 62

2 CFR REQUIREMENT SMALL MINORITY AND WOMEN’S BUSINESSES…………………………………... 62

ATTACHMENT K…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 63

H2B WORKFORCE REQUIREMENTS………………………………………………………………………………. 63

ATTACHMENT L………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 64

STANDARD FEDERAL AWARD CONTRACTOR TERMS & CONDITIONS 64

ATTACHMENT M…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 71

COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE OF FEDERAL REQULATIONS………………………………………………. 71

ATTACHMENT N…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83

FAIR CHANCE ORDINANCE…………………………………………………………………………………………. 83

City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana Request for Proposal No. 2026-07-0210

Banking Services 2027-2031

1. Purpose

The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to obtain competitive proposals as allowed by City-Parish governing statutes, ordinances, resolutions and policies from bona fide, qualified Proposers who are interested and able to provide banking services for the years 2027 through 2031.

This document is designed to present prospective proposers with an accurate description of both the operational activities and technical strategies surrounding the cash management program of the City-Parish. Prospective proposers are urged to read this document in its entirety.

Prospective proposers are likewise encouraged to ask for clarification when any questions arise.

If the City-Parish receives no inquiries, the City-Parish interpretation of the RFP will prevail.

2. General Instructions

Proposers shall submit proposals to the Purchasing Division, directed to the following:

Attention: Director of Purchasing P.O. Box 1471 Baton Rouge, LA 70821

Proposers shall submit proposals no later than September 16, 2026 by 2:00 PM. Proposals may also be delivered by hand to our physical address at the following location:

Purchasing Division 222 Saint Louis Street 8th Floor, Rm. 826 Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Proposers shall submit proposals between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise provided by a federal holiday. Proposals submitted for consideration shall consist of the following:

• Proposers shall submit one (1) signed hardcopy of the original proposal in a sealed envelope, marked [Original] BANKING SERVICES 2027-2031. Additionally, proposers should submit five (5) additional hardcopies of the signed proposal in a sealed envelope, marked [Copy] BANKING SERVICES 2027-2031, one (1) digitally signed proposal on CD/DVD/USB drive in PDF format, marked BANKING SERVICES 2027-2031, and one (1) redacted copy of the proposal, if applicable.

• A Title Page, Table of Contents, signed Letter of Transmittal, and Proposal Contents as outlined and requested within Attachment A of this RFP.

• All required attachments indicating authority which are acceptable to the public entity (to be submitted with both the electronic and hardcopy proposal submissions).

Proposers should notate clearly the name of the Proposer, the number, and the title of the RFP on the proposal documents, shipment packaging, and any other sealed envelopes contained therein. This information is critical to the Purchasing Division to identify proposals.

Proposers should clearly demonstrate the applicant’s qualifications and experiences to perform the BANKING SERVICES 2027-2031 and attend all factors applicable in a professional relationship.

Proposers shall familiarize themselves with and shall comply with all applicable Federal and State Laws, parish/municipal ordinances, resolutions, and the rules and regulations of all authorities having jurisdiction over the solicitation. These laws and/or ordinances will be deemed to be included in the contract, the same as though herein written in full.

Proposers should include detailed resumes or curricula vitae for the principals performing the services.

The City-Parish has elected to use LaPAC, the state’s online electronic bid posting and notification system, in addition to its standard means of advertising this requirement. LaPAC is resident on State Purchasing’s website at https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/pubmain.cfm and is available for vendor self-enrollment.

Copies of the solicitation and related information are available from the City-Parish’s Purchasing Division and the state’s Procurement and Contract Network website, LaPAC, at https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/dspBid.cfm?search=department&term=102.

In that LaPAC provides an immediate e-mail notification to subscribing bidders that a solicitation and any subsequent addenda have been let and posted, notice and receipt thereof is considered formally given as of their respective dates of posting. Though not required if receiving solicitation and addenda notices from LaPAC, the City-Parish will email addenda to all vendors contacting our office and requesting to be put on our office Vendor Listing for this solicitation.

3. Receipt of Proposals

PROPOSALS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CITY-PARISH ON OR BEFORE THE

SUBMISSION DEADLINE.

The City-Parish will NOT accept proposals delivered after the deadline.

4. Schedule of Events

Item Anticipated Schedule

RFP Issued August 6, 2026 Pre-Proposal Conference (non-mandatory) N/A Deadline to Receive Written Inquiries September 1, 2026 (4:00 PM, local time) Deadline to Answer Written Inquiries September 8, 2026 Proposal Submission Deadline September 16, 2026 (2:00 PM, CST) Oral Discussions with Proposers (if needed) N/A Notice of Intent to Award September 30, 2026 Contract Initiation January 1, 2027 https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/pubmain.cfm https://wwwcfprd.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/dspBid.cfm?search=department&term=102

*The City-Parish reserves the right to deviate from these dates.

If the City-Parish identifies a likely service provider, it may negotiate a final agreement with the provider and fix the relationship by professional services agreement. The contract will contain the standard City-Parish provisions shown in “Attachment D” for BANKING SERVICES 2027-2031 and the proposal forms shown in “Attachment B” and “Attachment B-1.”

In case a pre-proposal conference is not held, the City-Parish will initiate a Proposer Inquiry period for all interested Proposers to perform a procedural review of the proposal documents.

Proposer Inquiry

The City-Parish will initiate a Proposer Inquiry period for all interested potential proposers to perform a procedural review of the Request for Proposal, submit written inquiries, and receive an official response from the City-Parish. Official responses from the City-Parish to written inquiries submitted by potential proposers, prior to the inquiry deadline, will be supplied via a forthcoming addendum published to LaPAC.

Proposers shall submit ONLY written questions related to the proposal not later than 4:00 PM, on September 1, 2026 to:

Dexter Stewart Purchasing Division P.O. Box 1471 Baton Rouge, LA 70821 Email: RFP0210BankServices@brla.gov or deliver by hand to the physical location:

222 Saint Louis Street, Rm. 826 Baton Rouge, LA 70802 between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise provided by a federal holiday.

Proposers are hereby advised that the U. S. Postal Service does not make deliveries to our physical location.

5. Scope of Work

The numbered sections in each of the following sections correspond with the numbers listed on Attachment B-1, "Banking Services Solicitation Response Form." The City-Parish estimates of dollar and volume activity in this document are based on past experience. However, activity could vary significantly over the course of the contract, based on prevailing economic conditions.

5.1 Account Maintenance

To the extent possible, the City-Parish will have a single "operating account." Almost all of the City-Parish's deposits will be made to the Consolidated Cash Account, (which will function as the City-Parish's main bank account). Also, many of the City-Parish's checks will be written against the Consolidated Cash Account. In certain cases, however, checks will be written against other special City-Parish accounts, such as the Payroll Account and Juror Witness Fee account, and subsequently funded from the Consolidated Cash Account on an as-needed basis.

There is currently a total of 44 Demand Deposit Accounts (DDA’s) maintained by the City-Parish.

Brief descriptions of some of these accounts are included below. The remaining accounts are established to coincide with various outstanding City-Parish bond issues. As bond issues are paid off and new bonds are issued, the number of these accounts maintained will vary. Also, there are currently eight Zero Balance Accounts (ZBA) the City-Parish uses as noted below.

ACCOUNT NAME ACCOUNT DESCRIPTION

Consolidated Cash City-Parish's general operating account into which almost all deposits are made. Vendor payments are processed from this account. This account serves as the master account for current ZBA accounts. Average Daily Balance in this account is about $23,000,000.

Service Fee Account into which all garbage, sewer fees, and service fee payments are deposited (ZBA account).

Payroll Imprest account from which all City-Parish payroll checks and ACH direct deposits are issued. Transfers are made from the Consolidated Cash account when needed.

Witness & Juror Account used by the Clerk of Court's office and City Court from which disbursements are made to individuals required to attend court proceedings. Transfers are made from the Consolidated Cash account when needed (ZBA account).

Flex Spending Account Account used by the City-Parish from which employee deductions for their Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) are pulled by ACH Debits initiated by Ameriflex, the City-Parish’s FSA provider. If claims exceed deductions, Ameriflex may make an additional draft from the account at that time. When a debit balance exists in the account at the close of business, it is negated by an automatic ZBA credit from the Consolidated Cash account (ZBA Account).

OMV PTA This account is used in conjunction with the State Office of Motor

Vehicles. City Court collects fees for the state for various charges, and the State removes the funds (ZBA account).

Sales Tax Revenue Account into which incoming wire and ACH sales tax transmittals from vendors are deposited. Funds are transferred daily from this account to the Consolidated Cash Account (ZBA account).

UPIC Incoming wires for grants, Department of Justice, any credits other than Sales Tax credits, etc. (ZBA account).

Digital Lock Box (EMS) EMS established a lockbox service (ZBA account).

Parking Garage Revenue Parking garage vendor credits flow through this account and credit to Consolidated Cash daily (ZBA account).

Because most of these accounts will be funded directly from the Consolidated Cash Account, the City-Parish expects the bank to provide some form of "Zero Balance Account" (ZBA) reporting facilities, whereby the bank will recognize the total balance of all accounts as an aggregate deposit total. There shall be no un-invested funds at the close of any business day, regardless of the account in which they are nominally deposited. In order to accomplish this, all City-Parish DDA’s are interest bearing accounts. The bank must correct any errors it makes on City-Parish accounts within ten business days of notice of the error. All City-Parish requests for back-up information concerning deposits/credits and checks/debits must be received by the City-Parish within ten business days. The bank shall provide a copy of at least one check from the deposit when responding to requests for back up information necessary to identify a deposit.

Proposers must quote fees on a per account basis (estimated 45 accounts).

5.2 Account Analysis

The City-Parish must receive complete documentation relating to its account activity, including, but not limited to, volume information, "float" analysis, average balance information, including daily interest rates and interest earnings.

5.3 Account Debits

5.3.1 Checks Paid

The City-Parish regularly issues checks for payroll, vendor payments, and debt service among other payments. The checks are produced via a laser check printing process, and are MICR encoded with both the account number and check number; the City-Parish utilizes facsimile signatures printed by the City-Parish's check signing equipment.

Cleared check image files for the Payroll and Consolidated Cash Accounts must be returned to the City-Parish, either via Compact Disc (CD) or electronically via file transfer in bulk, and these images must remain accessible beyond the expiration of this contract. The software necessary to access the cleared check image files should allow for the querying, retrieving, and printing of cancelled checks (front and back). Any one-time startup costs associated with this process should be quoted. The bank must be able to provide this service.

The City-Parish issues approximately 4,000 checks each month.

5.3.2 Witness and Juror Fee Checks

The bank must provide the processing service for District Court and City Court Juror/Witness fee payments. All local banks, including the selected Fiscal Agency bank, will cash the payments upon presentation. A legal image of all cancelled checks cleared from the Juror Witness Fee Account is required as mentioned in the previous section (5.3.1) and as mentioned below in section 5.4.2. Monthly volume is estimated at 1,000 checks.

5.3.3 ACH Disbursements

The City-Parish currently processes various payments via ACH debit entries. Approximately 4,050 employees utilize direct deposit for payroll on a bi-weekly basis. Employee direct deposit and other ACH disbursement activity amounts to approximately 105,000 transactions annually or 8,775 monthly. The proposers shall make ACH debit blocking available on all accounts.

5.3.4 Debit Block Maintenance

The City-Parish currently has 40 accounts that use Debit Block Maintenance. The fee quoted should be on the monthly maintenance charge per account utilizing ACH Debit Block.

5.3.5 ACH Authorized ID

This charge is for each authorized ACH debit originator record on file. Currently, we authorize 11 entities for this service.

5.4 Account Reconciliation

5.4.1 Data Transmission - Checks Paid

The City-Parish performs a computer reconciliation of all City-Parish bank accounts. In order to facilitate this process, the bank must furnish the City-Parish with data on all checking transactions in a format specified by the City-Parish. The preferred method of transmittal is via a secure electronic connection both ways to the bank. Banks should fully explain their capabilities in this area. The City-Parish will make Information Services (City-Parish IT department) personnel available to members of the bank's Information Services Department to ensure that the bank’s capabilities meet these requirements. Monthly volume is approximately 4,250 checks as follows:

Consolidated Cash Account 2,900 Payroll Account 100 Witness & Juror Account 1,000

4,000

Proposers must provide information regarding their abilities to provide “positive pay” services for checks paid.

5.4.2 Monthly Check Imaging Charges

As required by Section 5.3.1, the City-Parish requires the bank to provide cleared check image files information for the Consolidated Cash, Payroll, and Juror Witness Fee Accounts. The proposer shall quote the applicable monthly per check charge here. The estimated monthly volume is 4,000 checks.

5.4.3 Imaged Check Per Account Charge

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 5.3.1 and 5.4.3, the Fiscal Agent Bank must provide cleared check image files of the prior month’s cancelled checks either via Compact Disc (CD) or electronically. Currently, this activity is required for three accounts per month (Consolidated Cash, Payroll, and Juror Witness Fee Account).

5.4.4 Positive Pay Charges

The bank must provide the City-Parish with positive pay services on two accounts, the Consolidated Cash and Payroll accounts, and reverse positive pay on all others. Current monthly volume is approximately 3,000 transactions. The proposer shall quote prices as a per account charge and a per item charge.

5.5 Deposits

The proposer must report deposit location codes that are MICR encoded on deposit slips through online detail reporting and on the monthly statement.

5.5.1 Branch Credits Posted

The City-Parish averages approximately 5,500 deposits/credits per month on its accounts (including cleared checks). The quoted price must be on a per deposit/credit basis.

5.5.2 Coin and Cash Deposited

The City-Parish averages approximately $5,000,000 of coin and cash deposited on a monthly basis. The quoted price must be on a per dollar basis.

5.5.3 Items Deposited - Local Clearing

The City-Parish deposits a fairly consistent volume of checks However, there is an upward trend during the tax season, generally November through January. Approximately 5,000 checks deposited are written on banks in the greater Baton Rouge area. Therefore, these items are cleared through either a local clearing house or by other "direct send" methods. Proposers should assume that all checks are un-encoded when costing these items.

5.5.4 Items Deposited - Transit

The City-Parish clears approximately 14,000 checks per month through the RCPC (Regional Check Processing Center). Proposers should assume all checks are un-encoded when quoting prices.

5.5.5 Remote Deposit Capture

The City-Parish has six scanners located in various departments. Proposers must quote a monthly cost in this section. The proposer shall include any hardware, software, or other implementation costs.

5.5.6 ACH Receipts

The City-Parish receives various payments from sales tax and federal grants via ACH entries.

Currently, these average about 1,100 per month. The proposer should use this estimate when quoting a price.

5.5.7 Tamper Evident Bags

The bank must provide 375 Regular (clear) tamper evident bags per month and an additional 130 special 10 x 19 heavy-duty tamper-proof bags. If the bank proposes a charge for this service, the change must be noted in this section.

5.5.8 Banking Center Services - Branch Orders

There are numerous departments responsible for collecting money, and those departments will need access to currency and coins. The bank branches must be able to provide, at any given time, rolled coins and/or strapped currency.

5.5.9 Vault Services

The proposer must provide vault services for deposits such as an armored carrier and coin and currency orders processed through the vault. This service shall be made available for each department at its discretion. Several departments will take advantage of making standard and nonstandard note deposits as well as coin deposits in standard coin bags and partial/mixed bags.

5.6 Stop Payments

Periodically the City-Parish places stop payments on previously issued checks. The proposer must provide a quote for this service based on an average monthly occurrence of 38 stop payments. The bank’s online system must allow City-Parish personnel to place and verify stop payments via computer.

5.7 Returned Checks

Each month, approximately 60 items are returned due to "insufficient funds," "account closed," etc. The bank will automatically re-run the items deposited into the Consolidated Cash account once, before returning them to the City-Parish. The bank will return checks deposited into the Service Fee account to the City-Parish (not to be redeposited). The City-Parish estimates that 30 checks will require redepositing before return and 30 will not require redeposit before return. The bank must provide returned check advices with each monthly statement and must reflect the name of the check issuer on each advice.

5.8 Wire Transfers

The City-Parish engages in a number of investment transactions which require wire transfer support (both incoming and outgoing). The greatest volume of wire transfer transactions will be directly related to the City-Parish's investment activities. The City-Parish requires that the successful proposer be "on-line" with the Federal Reserve Bank. In addition, the bank must provide the City-Parish with the capability to initiate and monitor all of its wire transactions electronically via the bank’s online system with appropriate safeguards. The City-Parish must receive timely (same workday or by 9:00 a.m. following workday) online notification of the transactions. The City-Parish processes an estimated 50 wires per month with an occasional wire amount of up to $30,000,000.

In addition, the City-Parish receives a number of "wired-in" intergovernmental fund transfers, and pays some of its debt service expenses by outgoing wire transfer The City-Parish must receive hard-copy documentation for transfers within two work days.

The City-Parish has pre-established wire transfer instructions for each of its wire transactions.

The bank must be able to accommodate these type of transactions.

The "Bid Response Form" requires that the proposing bank designate its charges for both incoming and outgoing wires. Additionally, the bank must fully explain its capabilities for wire transaction limits, availability of online reports for wires, and availability of online history of wire transactions.

5.9 Safekeeping and Collateral Pricing Services

5.9.1 Safekeeping Services

The bank must provide safekeeping facilities within which to hold various U.S. government securities.

In all cases, the bank must verify “good delivery” of securities before releasing funds by wire transfer. The City-Parish will have up to 30 government securities in its portfolio at any given time. Monthly purchases of government securities will average one to three pieces.

When the City-Parish purchases government securities, it will provide its bank with specific instructions to pay precise dollar amounts versus receipt of the specific securities which it has purchased (Payment vs Delivery).

Finally, all purchased securities, or securities held for safekeeping shall be held in trust and the City-Parish must receive a monthly trust statement at the end of every month.

An example of the procedure for safekeeping services is below. The bank’s function in safekeeping is in italics.

Example: The Council Administrator-Treasurer’s office purchases a $20,000,000 government security through a bid process.

The City-Parish notifies the Trust Department by email of the transaction which will include the financial institution awarded the government security, the account number given to the City-Parish by the financial institution, and the security amount.

The financial institution that is awarded the government security will send a trade ticket to the City-Parish which includes information on the purchased security.

The City-Parish will then notify (currently by email) the Trust Department with all the pertinent information (Purchase Price of the Treasury, CUSIP #, date of transaction, date of maturity, length of Treasury, Delivery Instructions and the Financial Institution).

The Trust Department must notify the City-Parish that all necessary information was received or if any additional information is needed to complete the transaction.

Once confirmed, the Bank (Trust Department) will take the Purchase Price (est. $19,365,000) out of our Consolidated Cash Account and deliver to the financial institution (settle for trade). The City-Parish fiscal agent bank should notify the City-Parish upon settlement of trade. This security should then appear on the monthly trust statement which the City-Parish will reconcile.

There are times when the City-Parish uses securities in trust to pledge as collateral. The City- Parish will send the trust department a directive to deliver free or receive free one or more of these securities.

The bank shall comply with the definition of United States Code, Title 11, and Section 101 (39).

5.9.2 Collateral Pricing Services:

Proposals responding to this RFP for banking services must include a section addressing the needs of the City-Parish with regard to the valuation of investment securities pledged by financial institutions to secure the public deposits of the City-Parish. The City-Parish maintains both demand deposit accounts (DDAs) and certificate of deposits (CDs) that require pledged collateral.

The City-Parish must receive a month-end report that lists all securities pledged to secure City- Parish funds and shows the current market values of those securities. The City-Parish will provide information to the fiscal agent bank that will allow the bank to update its records in order to provide an accurate list of securities.

The type of investment securities which are received as collateral include U.S. T-Bills, U.S. T- Notes, U.S. T-Bonds, and obligations of U.S. Government Agencies, including mortgage backed securities issued by U.S. Government Agencies, i.e. Federal Home Loan Bank bonds, Government National Mortgage Association bonds, and a variety of Federal Farm Credit bonds.

Please note that Letters of Credit and CMOs are not permitted to be used as collateral. The expected initial number of investment securities to set up is 25-30 with an anticipated turnover of approximately 1-3 per month. Proposers must note the pricing sources that they intend to utilize to provide the month-end values (e.g. Interactive Data Corp or Bloomberg). Proposers are required to use nationally known pricing services rather than in-house estimations. The bank must provide month-end valuation reports to the City-Parish no later than ten days following month-end. The report must include at a minimum the CUSIP number, Book Value (assumed to be par in all cases), and the Market Value.

Any bank which holds City-Parish demand or time deposits must pledge securities that have a market value in an amount which is no less than 103% of the aggregate total of the City-Parish’s deposits, (principal plus interest) within one business day. The market value must be verifiable in a national securities index, register or publication to the satisfaction of the City-Parish. The bank and any third-party custodian must execute all necessary pledge agreements that are necessary to properly perfect a pledge of assets to secure the City-Parish. The City-Parish’s Investment Policy limits pledged securities to U.S. T-Bills, U.S. T-Notes, U.S. T-Bonds, and obligations of U.S. Government Agencies, including mortgage backed securities issued by U.S.

Government Agencies, i.e. Federal Home Loan Bank bonds, Government National Mortgage Association bonds, and a variety of Federal Farm Credit bonds.

5.10 Online Data Communication

The bank must provide the City-Parish with access to account balances and transaction data through an online communications system. This should allow viewing access to all accounts under this contract and should be at least available during regular business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday), with a preference for 24/7 access. As mentioned above, other features of the system should include placing and verification of stop payments, transmission of checks paid files, initiation of wire transfers, and ACH “direct deposit” transmissions. Currently, online account information is available to the Treasurer’s Office, Finance Department, and the Personnel/Payroll department has access to ACH origination and direct deposit facilities. All of these offices utilize web-based applications to facilitate this connection and all proposers must provide a web-based application for the next contract period. The bank should also provide the City-Parish with the ability to view cancelled checks online as well.

The proposer must provide information regarding the computer hardware and software required to utilize this service and the account data and services that will be available from this access. In addition, security of information and input capabilities should be regulated by individual passwords. The bank must include the monthly charge for this service and any one-time startup costs should be quoted. Banks are urged to schedule a time to observe the features currently available.

5.11 Credit Card Processing

The City-Parish currently allows citizens to pay for some fees by credit card. These include, but are not necessarily limited to, fees for building permits, City Court traffic fines, and certain services provided by the Airport and Animal Control. Consequently, the fiscal agent bank must provide credit card processing facilities. Monthly averages for the Permit Office, City Court, Airport and Animal Control are as follows:

Average Average # of Average Monthly Sales Transactions Charge

DPW Permit/Inspect $147,485 1,120 $ 130 City Court $251,440 1,885 $ 135 Animal Control $ 12,820 120 $ 105 Airport $ 20 2 $ 10 Planning Commission $ 5,806 23 $ 252

The bank must be able to segregate and bill the five departments’ transactions separately.

Please note that included in the City Court, Planning Commission, and DPW data are credit card transactions transmitted over the internet.

The City-Parish owns the credit card equipment currently in use at the City Court location and the Permit Office location. If there will be a monthly lease rate for any credit card equipment, the bank must quote that rate as well as the purchase price of comparable equipment. Any one-time costs such as re-programing costs should be quoted in section 5.16.2 below.

5.12 Direct Deposits

The City-Parish offers a direct deposit option of payroll checks to its employees. Currently, approximately 4,050 employees utilize direct deposit. The City-Parish is on a bi-weekly payroll cycle. This translates into roughly 8,775 ACH transactions per month (see section 5.3.3).

The City-Parish currently utilizes a PC based ACH program to transmit all employee direct deposit information and wishes to continue this process (see section 5.10). All processing of ACH entries are done in accordance with NACHA rules. The bank must describe an alternate file submission procedure to be used for timely input in the event the PC based system fails.

The City-Parish will deliver to the bank transaction data for credits by 2:00 p.m., two business days prior to the effective transaction date. In the City-Parish payroll cycle, this means data will usually be transmitted prior to 2:00 p.m. on every other Wednesday in order for employees to have access to their funds on the following Friday morning.

5.12.1 - Rejected Item Charges

Currently, the City-Parish utilizes verification procedures that have eliminated returned or rejected item charges. For verification purposes, Pre-notes are processed on each payroll when there is a new employee set up or when account information is changed for an existing employee.

However, it can be assumed that situations will occur in the future that will cause these charges to be applicable. For analysis purposes, proposers should assume an average of 30 rejects per month.

5.12.2 - ACH Reversal Charges

Periodically it may be necessary for the City-Parish to request a reversal of an ACH posting either by telephone or online. For analysis purposes, proposers should assume an average of 1 such request per month.

5.13 Lockbox - EMS

EMS currently uses a lockbox service due to the quantity of payments being made on the large number of patient accounts. The lockbox allows EMS patients to mail payments directly to its location allowing payments to be received and posted to their account more efficiently. Payments can be made in the form of cashier’s check, money order, or personal check. The City-Parish’s current third-party billing company displays the lockbox’s address as the payment address on the invoices to make sending payments more convenient for the patients.

5.14 FDIC Insurance Fees

The average collected balance for all accounts currently is approximately $45,000,000. If the bank charges for FDIC insurance, the bank should base the monthly charge based on an average collected balance of $45,000,000.

5.15 Cash Investment Services

The bank selected by the City-Parish will be required to provide a mechanism with which the City- Parish can earn interest on all cash balances which are not currently invested in other investment securities. The bank will be required to establish interest-bearing accounts and to aggregate and invest the closing collected balances of all accounts at the end of each business day.

The interest rate paid on certain accounts must be directly tied to a verifiable, published floating interest rate. The City-Parish requires that the interest rate for Super Now accounts be, for the current month, the prior month’s average 91-day Treasury Bill rate as quoted on the Federal Reserve website located at http://wwws.publicdebt.treas.gov/AI/OFBills utilizing the “Investment Rate Percentage” column, (360-day basis) plus or minus the bank’s quoted adjustment. Interest is to be accrued daily and paid monthly. For analysis, we will use the June 2021, 91 T-Bill rate.

The bank must maintain a portfolio of U.S. government securities to collateralize deposits. The City-Parish requires collateralization levels of 103% in the City-Parish Investment Policy.

The fiscal agent shall maintain a daily record of account balances, interest rates in effect, and interest earned. The bank must forward this information to the City-Parish on a monthly basis along with the monthly account statements, canceled checks, and all other required reports and information.

http://wwws.pubicdebt.treas.gov/AI/OFBills

5.16 One-Time Charges

5.16.1 Online Data Communications

Any one-time charges associated with the installation, training, software, hardware, etc. of the online systems required in the locations mentioned in section 5.10 should be detailed here. Any quoted costs should include future software upgrades.

5.16.2 Credit Card Processing

Credit card processing equipment costs should be quoted here along with any other start up or one-time charges.

5.16.3 Other One-Time Charges

Any other one-time charges anticipated by the bank should be quoted under this section. Please explain the nature of the charges in detail.

5.17 Other Proposed Options

5.17.1 Deposit Slips

The fiscal agent must supply an adequate number of deposit tickets for City-Parish use. The tickets must contain deposit location codes that are MICR encoded on the deposit slips as mentioned in Section 5.5. If there is a charge for such tickets, it should be quoted under Item

5.17.1 of the "Bid Response Form." The City-Parish reserves the right to purchase deposit tickets from another vendor.

5.17.2 Coin Sorting and Counting

The City-Parish collects approximately $7,500 per month in coins from its parking garage and parking meter operations. The City-Parish has coin counting equipment on hand to process these collections. Current practice is for the City-Parish to sort coins by denomination and to prepare a deposit slip for the amount counted. This equipment has been very reliable; however, price quotes are requested for the bank to perform these services should the City-Parish equipment not be available. The bank would be required to receive, sort, and count coins as presented in a standard coin collection canister in the presence of a City-Parish representative.

6. Additional Information and Other Requirements

Regulation Notices

The Fiscal Agent bank will notify the City-Parish in writing within ten days of any changes in Federal or State regulations or laws that would thereafter affect the fiscal agent agreement. The Bank shall also notify the City-Parish of any new services that become available to the City-Parish throughout the contract period.

Account Balances

The bank shall make available to the City-Parish, prior to 10:00 a.m. each business day, “opening available” balances for all accounts from the previous working day.

Bank Statements

The bank must provide bank statements to the City-Parish within ten working days after the end of each calendar month. The statement must include deposits posted on the last banking day of the month. The bank must transmit checks paid data to the City-Parish within five working days after the end of each calendar month.

Right to Audit Records

The Fiscal Agent Banks's records relating to City-Parish accounts shall be open to review by either City-Parish internal auditors, Treasurer’s Office employees, or appointed independent auditors during normal business hours.

Financial Reports

In accordance with the City-Parish Investment Policy, the bank will be required to submit a copy of its current audited financial statements. Annual updates will likewise be required.

Bank Failure – Unfavorable Rating

Should the bank fail, close, or be forced into reorganization during the term of this contract, the City-Parish reserves the right to re-bid for a fiscal agent. Also, if, in the sole judgement of the City-Parish, a bank demonstrates any likelihood of its inability to comply with any provision of this agreement or demonstrates any financial or managerial instability, that bank can be excluded from this selection process, or the contract can be re-bid. Likewise, should the bank’s rating, as determined by Standard and Poor’s, Inc. fall below the investment grade minimum (BBB-) during the term of this contract, the City-Parish reserves the right to re-bid for a fiscal agent. Should Standard and Poor’s, Inc. reports become unavailable, the Treasurer may select a replacement rating agency and corresponding rating qualifications. Quarterly reviews will be conducted utilizing Standard and Poor’s, Inc. data as well as other bank rating services.

Administrative Monitoring

City-Parish personnel will periodically monitor the fiscal agent contract, concentrating on contractual matters, such as:

1. Satisfactory and timely documentation of account activities;

2. Compliance with contractual "per item" charges;

3. Demonstration of collection processes which agree with the collection schedule which has been furnished to the City-Parish;

4. Reasonability tests on stated service volumes;

5. Compliance with the City-Parish's safekeeping requirements;

6. Compliance with interest rate determination methodology;

7. Analysis of the contractual suitability of all bank charges. Typically, the City-Parish will reject any charges not quoted in the original bid proposal, such as non-bid inter-account transfer fees, unannounced data processing charges, etc.; and,

8. The bank will invoice the City-Parish for monthly services at the time monthly statements are made available. The City-Parish will audit the invoice, and then authorize payment to the bank in a timely manner. The City-Parish will not allow the bank to automatically debit the City-Parish's account for these charges. Please submit a sample of the monthly account analysis statement that will be utilized for the City-Parish's accounts. Terminology used on these statements must be consistent with that used in this RFP.

Overdrafts

The City-Parish does not intend to have a net overdraft position for all accounts throughout the contract term. An overdraft is considered to be a negative balance in the City-Parish's accounts collectively, not on an individual account basis.

Location of Fiscal Agency Bank

For the convenience of the City-Parish, we require that the Fiscal Agency bank have its main office or a full-service branch located within four miles of City Hall, at 222 St. Louis Street, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Community Reinvestment Act Rating and Community Reinvestment Plan

All proposing banks shall supply their most recent Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating and their Community Reinvestment Plan to the City-Parish. A CRA rating of “Satisfactory” shall be required.

Organization

Pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statute 39:1213, the fiscal agent bank with which funds are deposited shall be a stock-owned federally insured depository institution organized under the laws of this state or of any other state of the United States, or under the laws of the United States, as may be selected by the depositing authority under the provisions of this chapter.

Items Not Covered by the Banking Services RFP

The RFP specifically excludes investment and underwriting facilities, other than requiring those banking services which are essential to investment and banking activities. The following narrative is designed to familiarize the bank with the City-Parish's day-to-day procedures, as well as underlying policies.

The City-Parish maintains an investment portfolio of approximately $1,000,000,000.00, invested in a mix of instruments as defined by the City Parish's Investment Policy and as allowed by Louisiana statute. Decisions regarding the types of prospective investment securities to be purchased are made by the Treasurer's Office, based upon evaluation of rates, liquidity, and the reliability of cash-flow forecasts. The City-Parish reserves the right to invite bids on their time certificates of deposit from all banks and building and loan or homestead corporations domiciled within East Baton Rouge Parish.

A copy of the City Parish Investment Policy is included at the back of this RFP. The bank should review it in its entirety in order to ensure that it can properly support the City-Parish's objectives.

Other Service Proposals

Proposers are encouraged to include any additional services they feel may be advantageous for the City-Parish to use. However, these additional services will not be used in the quantitative analysis of the proposals submitted.

7. Evaluation and Selection

The following criteria cited herein will be evaluated when reviewing the proposal. The proposal will be evaluated in light of the material and the substantiating evidence presented to City-Parish.

Each Proposer bears sole responsibility for the items included or not included within the response submitted by the Proposer. Each Proposer should address within the proposal how the firm will meet all of the requirements of this RFP.

Upon receiving the proposals and following administrative review by the Division of Purchasing, the evaluation committee will evaluate responsive RFP submissions and provide an assessment.

The evaluation process will be completed as follows:

1. An initial review and qualification of respondents will be conducted based on the financial information submitted including evaluation of the bank utilizing the first quarter Standard and Poor’s, Inc ratings. The City-Parish will only further evaluate responses that have a rating of investment grade minimum (BBB-) or above. Additionally, banks having a CRA rating below satisfactory will not be considered.

2. Bids will be reviewed for completeness and general adherence to the requested format for presentation of proposals.

3. Willingness to respond positively to the City-Parish's interest in the optional services outlined will be evaluated.

4. The "Total Overall Cost" of each proposal will be determined using the completed response forms.

Cost Evaluation

The evaluation committee will then evaluate responsive proposals on cost. Pricing will be evaluated by all costs, inclusive of the maximum fee for all services and by all other costs, if any, proposed by the Proposer.

The successful bidder will be the bank that has the lowest total overall cost. Prices proposed shall be firm but subject to negotiation.

Additionally, the evaluation committee may:

• Conduct reference checks relevant to the solicitation to verify any information and consider any relevant information from such cited references or sources in the evaluation of the proposals;

• Request interviews and presentations with any Proposer to clarify any questions or considerations based on the information contained in the proposal.

The City-Parish reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and reissue the RFP should it be deemed in the City-Parish's best interest to do so.

8. Notice of Intent to Award

Upon review and approval of the evaluation committee’s recommendation for award by the Director of Purchasing and the Metropolitan Council, a Notice of Intent to Award letter will be issued to the Proposer. The City-Parish desires to have a contract completed and signed by all parties concerned, on or before the date indicated in the Schedule of Events. If the Proposer fails to submit the Award Contract by the scheduled deadline, through no liability of the City-Parish, the City-Parish may elect to cancel the Notice of Intent to Award letter and make the award to the next highest scored Proposer.

The Purchasing Division shall notify all unsuccessful Proposers as to the outcome of the evaluation process, and include, upon request, evaluation factors, points, and a summary. A recommendation report shall be made available to all interested parties after the Notice of Intent to Award letter has been issued.

9. Contract Negotiations

If, for any reason, the Proposer whose proposal is most responsive to the City-Parish’s needs, price, and other evaluation factors set forth in the RFP considered, does not agree to the contract, that proposal shall be rejected and the City-Parish may negotiate with the next highest scored Proposer. Negotiation may include revision of non-mandatory terms, conditions, and requirements. Negotiation shall also allow price adjustments. The final contract form shall be reviewed by the Purchasing Division and approved by the Parish Attorney prior to issuance of a purchase order, if applicable, to complete the process.

The RFP, any addendums, and the proposal of the selected Proposer will become part of any contract initiated by the City-Parish.

In no event is a Proposer to submit its own standard contract terms and conditions as a response to this RFP. The Proposer needs to address the specific language in the sample contract “Attachment D” and submit with their proposal any exceptions or exact contract deviations that the firm wishes to negotiate. The terms for both of these documents may be negotiated as part of the negotiation process, with the exception of contract provisions that are non-negotiable.

If the contract negotiation period exceeds 30 days, or if the selected Proposer fails to sign the contract within seven calendar days of delivery of the contract, the City-Parish may elect to cancel the award and award the contract to the next highest scored Proposer.

Award shall be made to the Proposer whose proposal, conforming to the RFP, will be the most advantageous to the City-Parish, price and other factors considered.

10. Ownership

All proposals and/or documentation submitted therewith are City-Parish’s property for all purposes.

Proposers must clearly mark documents or information as “confidential” in order to claim exemption, if any, from public records disclosure and specifically justify the exemption.

Confidential…