37-Group 1-Lockbox Services, Scope of Services, GEN2131264P1.pdf

SCOPE OF SERVICES

Group 1: Lockbox Services

1. SUMMARY

Broward County ("County”) is seeking proposals from qualified vendors to provide lockbox payment processing services, including, at a minimum, retail lockbox services for the County’s Water and Wastewater Services (WWS).

WWS processes approximately 60,000 utility payment transactions per month, representing an annual payment volume of approximately $50 million.

2. BROWARD COUNTY BACKGROUND

Broward County, Florida is a political subdivision of the State of Florida, governed by an elected Board of County Commissioners under the Florida State Statutes and the local County Charter. It is the 17th most populous county in the United States and the second most populous in Florida, with the second-largest gross domestic product (GDP) in the state. The County provides a broad range of services to its communities, and operates the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Port Everglades Department, WWS, along with 60 offices, departments, and divisions.

The County was incorporated in 1915 and is located along the southeastern coast of Florida. With a developable area of 428 square miles and a population of approximately 1.9 million people, the County is one of the largest counties in the country. The County is governed by its amended Charter, originally adopted in 1974, and functions as a home rule government under the Florida Constitution and the general laws of the State. The Board of County Commissioners is the legislative and policy-making body of the County. The nine-member Board of County Commissioners (the “BOCC”) is the legislative body of the County government. The BOCC appoints the County Administrator to act as the County's chief executive officer.

The Administrator implements policies of the BOCC, provides organizational leadership, and directs business and administrative procedures. In addition, there are five elected Constitutional Officers: The Clerk of the Circuit and County Courts, the Property Appraiser, the Sheriff, the Supervisor of Elections, and the Tax Collector. Circuit Court and County Court judges are also elected.

The County and its independently elected Constitutional Officers provide a broad range of services. These services include law enforcement, fire rescue protection, maintenance of streets, highways, bridges, traffic signals, transportation, environmental protection, urban planning, economic development, human services, parks, libraries, a convention center, property assessments and tax collections.

The BOCC also appoints the County Attorney, advisory board members and authorities to administer certain public services. The County Auditor is nominated by an independent board and is subject to ratification by a majority of the BOCC.

The County’s fiscal year runs from October 1st through September 30th of the following year.

3. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

3.1. Vendor should have at least five (5) years of experience providing lockbox and payment-processing services as an entity for operations of similar size to the County.

3.2. Vendor should, at the time of the proposal, be capable of providing facilities, equipment, and trained personnel necessary to perform the work as required in this Scope of Services.

3.3. WWS accepts mailed-in payments for water, wastewater, septic and other utility related services through a lockbox provider. WWS lockbox is considered a “retail” lockbox setup. Payments must be remitted directly to the Vendor’s designated PO Box as specified.

3.4. Vendor must have the capability to process lockbox remittances within the same day received and all payments must be processed within 24 hours of receipt at the processing facility.

3.5. Vendor must have the technology and processes to send secure electronic deposit files to the County, provide daily upload files of remittance data and provide a secure Web Portal for same-day detailed payment and remittance information access by WWS.

3.6. Vendor must have a lockbox remittance processing facility for this contract located in Florida, in which, at a minimum, all scanning and imaging of remittances shall occur. The County prefers to have a mailing address for lockbox payments, in the Local Tri-County area (Broward, Miami- Dade, Palm Beach).

3.7. Vendor must accept positive payment files sent by WWS, which provide updates on items eligible for payment processing.

3.8. At the end of each processing day, the Vendor must send a payment file to WWS to upload into its Customer Information System (CIS). These payments must be posted to the County’s designated bank account on the same day received overnight. In addition, a lump sum ACH deposit must be sent to the County’s designated bank account no later than one business day from processing day.

3.9. All customer correspondence shall be clearly imaged and available on the Vendor’s platform for WWS access. Front and back images of remittance coupons and checks in the payment file, and all supporting documents, are to be maintained by the Vendor for the duration of the contract.

3.10. Process and balance transactions, such as multiple payment coupons with a single check or multiple checks with single payment coupon. Any unbalanced transactions must be sent through a secure online decision-platform for WWS verification.

3.11. Process all checks accompanied by payment coupons regardless of whether the payment amount matches the billed amount due.

3.12. Process all checks not accompanied by payment coupons provided that the customer account number is indicated on the check.

3.13. Checks received without a payment coupon and without a customer number must be routed through the County’s Online Decisioning (OLD) for review by WWS staff before processing. If rejected, the vendor shall return the check via mail to the sender’s address.

3.14. Export and upload images and metadata to County’s CIS.

3.15. Capture name/address information from scanned documents, i.e. customer’s check and payment coupon.

3.16. Capture change of address denoted by a check box on the front of the payment coupon and return it in a separate electronic file to WWS for processing.

3.17. Payments processed must be in USD (U.S. Dollar) funds drawn on or through a U.S. bank and the check must not be postdated.

3.18. Transmit payment files nightly to County’s File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site by 4:00 PM (EST) via secure FTP mechanism for WWS’s upload into its CIS. The Vendor must provide Internet Protocol (IP) for security purposes.

3.19. Accept a positive file containing customer numbers for lookup purposes. The files shall be posted to the County’s FTP site by 5:00 PM (EST) each business day and must be accessible via secure

FTP.

3.20. Accept a negative file containing customer numbers for lookup purposes. The files shall be posted to the County’s FTP site by 5:00 PM (EST) each business day and must be accessible via secure FTP. This file is a list of customer accounts that are flagged as “cash only”. WWS will determine and provide the payment method acceptable for “cash only” customers. These transactions must be sent electronically and securely to WWS staff for review, to approve or reject.

3.21. Transmission files must adhere to BAI format.

3.22. Return Item details must be available upon request of the County.

4. CUSTOMER SERVICE

4.1. The Vendor must provide the County with a dedicated relationship manager to deliver support, including but not limited to, contract management, performance oversight, escalation resolution, and training. The vendor must provide direct contact information, including a direct phone line and email address, for County communication during the County’s business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM EST).

4.2. The vendor must provide the County with a dedicated customer service representative to deliver day-to-day operational support, including but not limited to, routing assistance and issue resolution. The vendor must provide a direct phone number for the County to obtain assistance during the County’s business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM EST).

5. TRANSITION / IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The Vendor must develop a comprehensive transition and implementation plan that will allow the County to seamlessly continue operations and maintain possession of County funds/accounts upon completion of its previous lockbox services agreement and implementation of its new agreement. A detailed timeline with full transition and implementation must be provided to the County.

6. ADDITIONAL SERVICES

Additional products and/or services of the same general category that could have been encompassed in the award of this Agreement, and that are not already in the Agreement, may be added during the term of the agreement.