JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services Question and Answers Bid Amendment 3.pdf

STATE OF ILLINOIS

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

Illinois Department of Revenue JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services

27-492DOR-COLLE-B-50076

Vendor Questions and Agency Responses Bid Amendment 3

Proposals must be submitted via BidBuy no later than 02/11/2026 – 10:00 am

Links Shared in Bid Amendment 1:

To Assist Vendor’s in Submission of their Proposals, the Department has provided the “Vendor Submission Video” in Section C.1. of the RFP Document. Vendor’s may also watch this Video by following this link: https://youtu.be/4NujlhKbazE

Additional Resources:

Financial Disclosure Training Video: https://youtu.be/VQn2AQuzP-o

IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure Training Video:

https://youtu.be/ckEwUSeuOgw

Links Shared During Pre-Submission Conference:

Business Enterprise Program Website:

https://cei.illinois.gov/programs0/business-enterprise-program.html

Commitment to Diversity Website:

https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/commitment-to-diversity.html

1. The vendor respectfully submits the following questions regarding RFP JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services number 27-492DOR-COLLE-B-50076.

Section D4, “Commitment to Diversity Elements”, Category 3 would require a vendor to disclose its gross revenue. Gross revenue is private, confidential business information not generally available to the public or to competitors. Can a vendor mark responses that include its gross revenue “Private and Confidential” not to be disclosed to individuals or entities other those involved in the evaluation process for this RFP?

A. Per Section E.2. PUBLIC RECORDS AND REQUESTS FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT in the

JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document attached in BidBuy:

Offers become the property of the State. All offers will be open to the public under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 ILCS 140) and other applicable laws and rules, unless vendor requests in its Offer that the State treat certain information as confidential. A https://youtu.be/4NujlhKbazE https://youtu.be/VQn2AQuzP-o https://youtu.be/ckEwUSeuOgw https://cei.illinois.gov/programs0/business-enterprise-program.html https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/commitment-to-diversity.html request for confidential treatment will not supersede the State’s legal obligations under FOIA. The State will not honor requests to keep entire Offers confidential. Vendors must show the specific grounds in FOIA or other law or rule that support confidential treatment.

Regardless, the State will disclose the successful vendor’s name, the substance of the Offer, and the price.

If vendor requests confidential treatment, vendor must submit additional copy/copies (see Instructions for Submission of Offers in Section C.) of the Offer with proposed confidential information redacted. This redacted copy must tell the general nature of the material removed and shall retain as much of the Offer as possible. In a separate attachment, vendor shall supply a listing of the provisions identified by section number for which it seeks confidential treatment and identify the statutory basis or bases under Illinois law, including a detailed justification for exempting the information from public disclosure.

Vendor will hold harmless and indemnify the State for all costs or damages associated with the State defending vendor’s request for confidential treatment. Vendor agrees that the State may copy the Offer to facilitate evaluation, or to respond to requests for public records. Vendor warrants that such copying will not violate the rights of any third party.

2. Section D4, “Commitment to Diversity Elements” includes a requirement under Category 3 that vendors provide information regarding the amount spent with businesses owned by women, minorities, or persons with disabilities as a percentage of gross revenue. Many large companies have several lines of business, including lines of business other than that which is the subject of this RFP. Can a company provide the requested information that relates to the type of collection work covered by this RFP, i.e. collection of business and personal taxes?

A. Per Section III. DEI Spend in the Commitment to Diversity Vendor Guidance document attached in BidBuy:

Offeror’s percentage of business, education, and/or community spend from the prior calendar year's gross revenue that involves businesses owned by women, minorities, and/or persons with disabilities.

Spend: the organization’s transactions for the purchase of goods, services, and charitable donations.

Gross Revenue: The amount of money a business brings in from selling goods or services, with no expenses deducted.

Calendar Year: As used by the State of Illinois, the fiscal year starts in July. However, for our purposes, we refer to and utilize the calendar year, which begins in January, to determine the prior year.

Examples of Types of Spend:

• Promoted diverse suppliers in the public or private sectors.

• Purchased diversity/equity training program.

• Provided WMD businesses with equipment/supplies/ materials.

• Provided low-interest loans to WMD businesses.

• Consulted with a DEI auditor.

• Provided/donated to scholarships for WMD.

• Donated to Minority Serving Institutes, Women's Colleges, or persons with disabilities institutes/certification programs.

• Donated to educational programs that supply support to WMD.

• Sponsored school events for diverse/ equity support or education.

• Donated learning materials to organizations that support WMD.

• Donated funds to an organization that primarily supports WMD.

• Financially sponsored an event that supports WMD.

• Partnered with a WMD business to create a DEI-focused community event.

• Promoted a DEI/WMD community event.

Verification Examples:

• Proof of Transaction

• Receipts

• Contracts

• Purchase Description

• Flyer

• References

3. Section D4, Category 6 seeks detailed information regarding the diversity of its staff, including a

“Staff List” as part of the verification. Much of this information is considered confidential, personal information. Can a vendor produce copies of its official EEO-1 reports which discloses its firmwide information regarding these diversity categories in lieu of the detailed staff listing described in the RFP?

A. Do not submit any personally identifiable information of employees. If your organization does not use IDs, you may use initials or numbering (ex: Employee 1, Employee 2). Also see Section VI. Diversity in Staffing in the Commitment to Diversity Vendor Guidance document attached in BidBuy for additional details.

4. Can a large vendor with more than 1,000 employees provide a signed and sworn statement compiling and calculating the requested information and percentages without providing specific staff information?

A. Larger organizations will still need to submit their employee roles. This submission will only require a unique identifier for the employee, gender, ethnicity, and role. Do not submit any personally identifiable information of employees. If your organization does not use IDs, you may use initials or numbering (ex: Employee 1, Employee 2). Also see Section VI. Diversity in Staffing in the Commitment to Diversity Vendor Guidance document attached in BidBuy for additional details.

5. On approximately what percentage of accounts did the procuring agency, or an entity on behalf of the procuring agency, pursue civil litigation collection action in each of the past 2 years? On approximately how many total accounts did the procuring agency, or an entity on behalf of the procuring agency, pursue a civil litigation collection action in each of the past 2 years?

A. No litigation occurred in the past 2 years.

6. Does the procuring agency currently have any policies or guidelines establishing a threshold dollar value an account must have in order to pursue litigation collection action? If so, what is that threshold? If not, would the procuring agency be open to working with a vendor to agree upon such a threshold?

A. No, there is no threshold. Yes, the procuring agency would be open to such discussions.

7. The vendor wishes to acknowledge receipt of the RFP for Collection Services and submit the following questions for clarification.

A.3 – Does the contract start date listed in the schedule (July 1, 2026) represent the date onboarding is expected to begin, or the date by which onboarding must be completed and collection services must commence?

A. July 1, 2026, represents the date onboarding begins.

8. D.4 – We request additional detail regarding the objectives of each Commitment to Diversity category and the associated scoring methodology. What benchmarks or goals must be met to receive full points in each category? How will a bidder with a total DEI spend of $2,000 be evaluated relative to a bidder with $50,000 in total spend?

A. Please see the Commitment to Diversity Vendor Guidance document attached in BidBuy for the objectives and scoring methodologies. DEI Spend has a maximum of 20 points based on the organization’s transactions for the purchase of goods, services, and charitable donations that are verifiable through proof of transaction, receipts, contracts, purchase description, flyers, or references. If the vendor provides 0% spend, there are no points awarded. Spend greater than 0 or 0.1% to 0.9%, the vendor is awarded 10 points. For 1% spend, the awarded value is 15 points and 2% spend is 20 points.

9. F.1.13.13 mentions a “Price” form. Please confirm pricing should be entered into “Items” tab of

BidBuy and there is no separate form required.

A. Per Section F.5.1.1. Format of Pricing of the JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document, Offeror shall submit pricing in the Quote Items Tab on BidBuy, no separate form is required.

For further instructions, please see Section C.1. VENDOR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT IN

BIDBUY.

Vendors may also view the “Request for Proposal (RFP) Vendor Submission Instructions Video found at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html

10. F.2.2 – We acknowledge that collection activity must be performed within Illinois and all collection correspondence must reflect an Illinois address. While we are equipped to fulfill these requirements using an Illinois call center and workforce, may we perform support functions from another office located in a different state? Examples include, but are not limited to, back-end payment processing, trust accounting, IT/IS support, and client services performed from a corporate headquarters, or the printing and mailing of collection notices by a contracted vendor. Please be as specific as possible regarding which services must be performed in-state.

A. The vendor is expected to have brick and mortar operation in Illinois staffed with debt collectors and appropriate administrative staff. The examples listed as support functions are permissible to be located out of state.

For additional information, please see the Offer to the State of Illinois, Section C. WHERE ARE SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED document attached in BidBuy:

Unless otherwise disclosed in this section, all services shall be performed in the United States. This information and the economic impact on Illinois and its residents may be considered in the evaluation. If the Offeror performs the services purchased hereunder in another country in violation of this provision, such action may be deemed by the State as a breach of the contract by Offeror.

Offer shall disclose the locations where the services required shall be performed and the known or anticipated value of the services to be performed at each location. If the Offeror received additional consideration in the evaluation based on work being performed in the United States, it shall be a breach of contract if the Offeror shifts any such work outside the United States.

11. F.2.2 – For litigation cases where the debtor resides in a state other than Illinois, may vendors utilize attorneys that are located in and authorized to practice law in other states, assuming they’ve been appointed as a special assistant attorney general?

A. Yes.

https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html

12. F.2.4 – May we submit a printed screenshot the DFPR’s license search website as proof of active registration?

A. A printed screenshot of the Registration Certificate from the Division of Financial and

Professional Regulation is acceptable.

13. Offer to the State Form – B. “If the annual value of any of the subcontracts is more than $100,000, then the Vendor must provide to the State the subcontractor's Financial Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest form or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure form.” Are these subcontractor forms due with the proposal or upon award?

A. Per the Illinois Procurement Code 30 ILCS 500/60-35 (a), “All bids and offers from responsive bidders, offerors, vendors, or contractors with an annual value that exceeds the small purchase threshold established under subsection (a) of Section 20-20 of this Code, and all submissions to a vendor portal, shall be accompanied by disclosure of the financial interests of the bidder, offeror, potential contractor, or contractor and each subcontractor to be used.”

14. BEP Utilization Plan – Please confirm Part III for Good Faith Efforts and its related forms need NOT be completed and returned as long as we are able to meet the full BEP goal.

A. Per the BEP Utilization Plan Part 1: Bidder/offeror is a BEP/VBP certified firm registered in at least one of the solicitation’s NIGP Code(s) and will fully meet the goal through self-performance. (If checked, submit this signed Part I Commitment only.)

15. The vendor would like to submit the attached questions in regard to RFP JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services 27-492DOR-COLLE-B-50076.

In order to submit a complete and comprehensive response, we would like to ask the following questions. Why is the RFP being released at this time?

A. Per Section B.1. Overview & Background of the JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document, the Department currently has five (5) contracts for First Placements and two (2) contracts for Second Placements that will expire on 06/30/2026.

16. What is the current fee% for incumbents or prior contractors? Please provide 1st and 2nd placement fee %.

A. The Department of Revenue does not disseminate current vendor information for solicitations.

17. Who is the incumbent/prior contractor?

A. The Department of Revenue does not disseminate current vendor information for solicitations.

18. What improvements would you like to see a new vendor bring to the project?

A. The Department seeks a vendor that consistently delivers the highest possible recovery rates, maintains minimal error rates in all file exchanges, and demonstrates a high level of responsiveness and accountability. In addition, the Department values strong professionalism, proactive communication, technical expertise, and a commitment to producing high-quality work in a timely manner. These expectations represent the Department’s standards and objectives for the project and are not intended to reflect any shortcomings of the current vendor.

19. What was the total fee collected by the incumbents over the last year?

A. FY25 = $9,527,750

20. Can agents work remotely in the State of Illinois?

A. Yes. Note: IDOR reserves the right to visit and inspect the remote work site.

21. How many agents must work on-site in our Illinois office?

A. There is no minimum requirement.

22. What is the liquidation rate for first placements after 180 days of placement with an agency?

365 days?

A. This information is not available.

23. What is the liquidation rate for second placements after 180 days of placement with an agency?

365 days?

A. This information is not available.

24. What is the average account balance?

A. For first placements = $2,299, second placement = $4,583

25. What is the portfolio backlog including dollar amount and number of accounts?

A. There are no backlogs. Current inventory for first placement is 134,283 cases $308,516,713.

Current inventory for second placements is 92,641 cases $495,500,363

26. What is the estimated future placements, is the department anticipating any increases or decreases to the forward flow, of number the accounts and dollar amounts?

A. The Department does not have an estimate for future placement.

27. What is expected forward flow?

A. Forward flow should be consistent with past workflows.

28. What determines a 1st placement? Is it the length of time the account has been charged off (ex:

0-90 days) or is it the number of times the account has been placed with an agency?

A. First placement means it has never been outsourced before; thus, this is the first time being placed with a private collection agency.

29. Continued from Question 28. Second placements? Third Placements?

A. Second placement means it has been outsourced before. We do not place a third time as a matter of practice or procedure.

30. Would you consider BEP registered vendors, who have the appropriate NAICS code that are headquartered outside of IL? We would still have a brick and mortar location in IL but our BEP is registered throughout headquartered office in another State.

A. Per Sections A.4. and F.2.2. of the JPMC FY27-31 Collections Services RFP document, “the RFP requires that the successful vendors and subcontractors must maintain an office in the State of Illinois though the duration of the contract.” Subcontractors must have a “brick and mortar” location within the State of Illinois.

31. Must all staff including the Project Manager and other Key Personnel of the Management Team be located in IL?

A. No, not all team members must be located in Illinois.

32. On the 2025 Offer to the State of Illinois form, it asked for the “Percentage of contract services performed at this location: (_%). How will this be scored and should vendors aim for a certain % goal?

A. It is acceptable for Vendors to indicate in Section C of the Offer Location where services will be performed and Percentage of contact services performed at this location “100%”. This is based on scope of services defined in Section F.1. of the RFP. Responses to this Section would not be grounds for a vendor being deemed “non-responsive” and could be cured prior to Contract award. An acceptable response would be:

Location where services will be performed: United States Percentage of contract services perform at this location (%): 100%

33. Is the Vendor Disclosure Form A required if we have an active Gateway registration number? It appears that only Form B is required if we are registered.

A. Per Section F. PROPOSAL FORMS of the JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document, Vendors shall submit the Vendor Disclosure – Formerly Forms A or IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure – Formerly Forms B based on the following requirements:

The IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure may be used when responding to an Invitation for Bid (IFB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP) if the vendor is registered in the Illinois Procurement Gateway (IPG) and has an active State of Illinois Vendor Registration Number.

Vendors shall log into IPG to ensure their State of Illinois Vendor Registration is active prior to submission of the IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure – Formerly Forms B.

If a vendor does not have an active Illinois Procurement Gateway (IPG) State of Illinois Vendor Registration Number or it has expired, then the vendor must complete and submit the Vendor Disclosure - Formerly Forms A with their response. Failure to do so shall render the submission non-responsive and result in disqualification.

34. Is there a percentage of agents that are required to work within the office? If so, can you please advise what the required percentage is?

A. All collectors and their immediate support staff must be located within the borders of

Illinois. There isn’t a percentage that must be in the office. Note: IDOR reserves the right to visit and inspect the remote work site.

35. In the Technical Proposal Response, should we repeat processes for First and 2nd placement collections that maybe the same for both? For example, Skip tracing efforts, we may have a similar approach for both 1st and 2nd placements. Should this content be duplicated and repeated?

A. It does not need to be duplicated, but it must be clear, 1 – that the response is for both First and Second/Litigation placements, and 2 – that the process is the “same” for First and Second/Litigation, if that is what you are bidding on.

36. Provide the total number of litigation efforts, dollar amount and number of accounts, approved in 2024 and 2025?

A. None.

37. We understand that placement with an Agency is based on a performance and utilizes a

Champion Challenger model, can the Department provide the performance goals for this model?

A. There are no performance goals. The agencies are scored and compared to each other for the same time frame based on recovery rate and an evaluation performed by IDOR collection staff. Areas evaluated are; Cooperation, Responsiveness, Data Accuracy, Timeliness, Aged Accounts, Inquiries, Weekly Statements, Taxpayer Complaints and Overall Satisfaction.

38. Can contractors utilize emails and text messages when contacting debtors?

39. How many vendors have received placements in the last year?

A. Four.

40. Can you please provide the total number of accounts and their dollar value assigned to each vendor for the past year?

A. For FY25 Individual Income tax First placements;

a. 46,752 $ 94,567,898

b. 46,313 $ 90,181,404

c. 63,749 $125,817,893

d. 46,742 $ 85,966,346

B. For FY25 Business taxes First placements;

a. 17,670 $161,815,525

C. For FY25 Individual Income tax Second placements;

a. 29,238 $83,454,349

b. 24,920 $70,620,815

D. For FY25 Business taxes Second placements;

a. 10,686 $101,780,822

41. Is there a file size limit on the BidBuy Portal?

A. BidBuy can accept documents up to 400 MB, however, to avoid system issues it is recommended to keep documents between 100-200 MB. File size may impact the uploading and downloading speed and may lead to browser time-outs, resulting in failed upload/download attempts. Please consider this dependency when attaching very large documents.

Documents shall be submitted in an electronic format that is accessible and readable using Microsoft Office suite software or Adobe Reader. Corrupted files shall not be considered. It is the vendor’s responsibility to check that files are accessible and legible after uploading.

The State encourages vendors to ensure that their BidBuy account is up-to-date. It is recommended that you access your BidBuy account prior to the solicitation due date and time to make sure that your company’s information is up-to-date and your password is current. Files may be uploaded at any time prior to submission.

42. In 2023 the Department issued an RFP for Supplement Collection Services, was this because of an increase in forward flow, a performance issue, or another reason?

A. The JPMC Supplemental Collection Services RFP in 2023 did not receive responsive offers.

The agency exercised the renewal option of the existing contracts that are set to expire on 06/30/2026.

43. Section F.1.13.13. states “The fee for services shall be as shown on the attached “Price” form. If necessary, include any out of state rate ranges.” But Section F.5.1.1. Offeror shall submit pricing in the Quote Items Tab on BidBuy, based on the terms and conditions set forth in this Request for Proposal Solicitation Document. Please confirm that there is not a separate pricing form and that our pricing should only be submitted on the Quote Items Tab on Bid Buy.

A. Per Section F.5.1.1. Format of Pricing of the JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document, Offeror shall submit pricing in the Quote Items Tab on BidBuy, no separate form is required.

For further instructions, please see Section C.1. VENDOR INSTRUCTIONS TO SUBMIT IN

BIDBUY.

Vendors may also view the “Request for Proposal (RFP) Vendor Submission Instructions Video found at https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html

44. Please confirm that if submitting pricing on the Quote Items Tab that we should only enter the fee % in the box for unit cost?

A. Per Section F.5.1.1. FORMAT OF PRICING of the JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document, Offeror shall submit pricing in the Quote Items Tab on BidBuy, based on the terms and conditions set forth in this Request for Proposal Solicitation Document. Offeror’s price offer shall serve as the basis for the compensation terms of the resulting contract.

This contract shall be contingency fee percentage based for First Placements, Second Placements/Litigation or both depending on the proposal’s intent. The percentage will be that for which the vendor is willing to work any and all state debt expressly listed or implied in this RFP. Vendors must have the capability to “net out” their fees (gross collections, minus vendor collection fee, equal new collections). The Department will not be responsible for any costs of collection not included in the vendor collection fee. Failure to submit pricing in the Items Tab on BidBuy may render Offeror’s entire Offer non-responsive and ineligible for award. Note: any pricing entered in the Unit Cost of the Items Tab will be locked until after Technical and Commitment to Diversity Evaluations are complete. Do not enter cost, pricing, or any discount information in the Alternate Description field. Entering cost, pricing or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification.

45. In item F.3.3.4, It states to provide “A schedule of delivery of information.” Is the Department looking for our implementation plan or how we deliver reports or similar debtor information updates such as a new address?

A. We are looking for a proposed implementation plan.

46. What is the process for involuntary collections recommendations? Is there a mechanism for contractors to recommend accounts for employer wage or bank levy, and to receive commission of funds received since they identified the source of funds? We have used this model in other state level tax contracts, but models differ by state and agency.

A. No, there is no mechanism in which an enforcement recommendation would result in commission.

https://cpo-general.illinois.gov/vendor-resources.html

47. RFP F.1.12. states that accounts withdrawn by a referring agency must be closed within 30 days of notification. Can the State confirm this is a similar to a closure warning report, and vendors may still work accounts up until day 29, at which point accounts must then be closed and no additional work performed?

A. Correct, if a debt referring agency decides to withdraw all accounts or a segment of accounts (usually upon terminating a contract or ceasing the placement of accounts with a particular vendor) the vendor will have 29 days to continue collecting then must cease efforts on the 30th day.

48. Per RFP 27-492DOR-COLLE-B-50076, section C.6. VENDOR QUESTIONS AND AGENCY RESPONSE, (post- Pre-submission conference,) I have attached the vendor’s questions.

What has influenced the decision to recompete for IDOR debt collections beyond statutory requirements? (Such as performance, capacity, or program changes (Overview & Background section)

A. Per Section B.1. OVERVIEW & BACKGROUND, the Department currently has five (5) contracts for First Placements and two (2) contracts for Second Placements that will expire on 06/30/2026.

49. Does the IDOR have any historical information or target performance benchmarks they will share (such as recovery rates, customer satisfaction, compliance scores, or other relevant collections performance metrics)? (Multiple sections, including Volumes & Quantities and Sections F.3 & D.4)

A. Average recovery rate for past 5 fiscal years

a. First placement Individual Income tax = 12.79%

b. First placement business taxes = 4.3%

c. Second/Litigation placement Individual Income tax = 7.22%

d. Second/Litigation placement business taxes = 1.08%

50. Will you describe the criteria used for initial account distribution, which directly affects implementation planning. Or, what influences the initial account allocation to vendors? (Award Section and F.1.16)

A. Case distribution from IDOR (tax) will be a blind round robin. If 4 vendors are awarded contracts, all 4 vendors will receive approximately equal volume of cases. The system randomly selects cases and distributes equally, similar to dealing cards in a card game. The only deviation from that is after a quarterly evaluation, the best performer will receive twice the volume of the other vendors for the entire month’s next placement routine. It is anticipated that after a period of time the lowest performer will be dropped from distribution of cases thus receiving none while the remaining 3 will continue to receive equal shares of cases. Other debt referring agencies usually select a single vendor and that vendor will receive 100% of their cases.

51. After award, does IDOR anticipate using performance metrics (e.g., recovery rate, compliance scores) to influence ongoing account allocation among awarded vendors? (Multiple sections, including F.1.16.1–F.1.16.6)

52. Does IDOR maintain a preferred or existing panel of Special Assistant Attorneys General, or is vendor proposed counsel evaluated independently? (Multiple sections, including F.3.2 and F.3.4)

A. Vendor proposed counsel is evaluated independently.

53. Does IDOR permit remote work models for collectors? (Security & Compliance and F.1.17 and related sections)

B. Yes, if said collectors are located in Illinois. Note: IDOR reserves the right to visit and inspect the remote work site.

54. Can collectors work outside the state if there is a contact number that designates it as an IL phone number or other identifying IL information?

A. Per Sections A.4. and F.2.2. of the JPMC FY27-31 Collections Services RFP document, “the RFP requires that the successful vendors and subcontractors must maintain an office in the State of Illinois though the duration of the contract.” Vendors and subcontractors must have a “brick and mortar” location within the State of Illinois.

For additional information, please see the Offer to the State of Illinois, Section C. WHERE ARE SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED document attached in BidBuy:

considered in the evaluation. If the Offeror performs the services purchased hereunder in another country in violation of this provision, such action may be deemed by the State as a breach of the contract by Offeror.

known or anticipated value of the services to be performed at each location. If the Offeror received additional consideration in the evaluation based on work being performed in the United States, it shall be a breach of contract if the Offeror shifts any such work outside the United States.

55. Regarding Offer to the State of Illinois document > B. Subcontractor Disclosure: If a Vendor is proposing to use a subcontractor but the annual value of the related performance of the contract is less than $100,000, should the Vendor skip this section altogether? Or at the very least, should they still indicate “Yes” for the “Will subcontractors be used?” question on this form?

A. Please see the agency response to question 13 above.

56. Regarding IPG Active Registered Vendor Disclosure form: At the top of this form, Vendors are directed to provide both the BidBuy reference number (27-492DOR-COLLE-B-50076) and the Procurement/Contract #. Please confirm or otherwise clarify that Vendors can/should indicate “TBD” (for “to be determined”) for the Procurement/Contract #, as this is an active procurement.

A. The BidBuy Reference # used for this procurement would be the Solicitation #, 27-492DOR-

COLLE-B-50076. The Procurement/Contract # for this procurement would be the Solicitation Description of JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services.

57. Regarding Section B. Current Conditions > B.1 Overview & Background on page 4 of the RFP:

Does IDOR use GenTax software for both tax and non-tax collections (non-tax governmental units)?

A. The only non-tax debt integrated into the GenTax system is Secure Choice. No other state agency debt is integrated.

58. Regarding Section C. Proposal Requirements > C.1 Required Documents to Complete and Submit on pages 5-6 of the RFP: Proposing Vendors are advised that “file size may impact the uploading and downloading speed and may lead to browser time-outs, resulting in failed upload/download attempts.” Will IDOR provide any related known file size limitations for the Required Attachments upload section for this procurement on BidBuy?

A. Please see the agency response to question 41 above.

59. Regarding Section C. Proposal Requirements > C.1 Required Documents on page 5 of the RFP, cross-referenced with Section F. Proposal Forms on pages 19-20 of the RFP: In Section C, Offers are prescribed five (5) bullets of documents to provide, one of which is “Technical Response.”

a. Do the proposal elements then described in Section F – specifically, “the following three tables include: Contract Requirements (Section F.1), Technical Requirements – Mandatory Requirements with Evidence (Section F.2), and Proposed Technical Solution (Section F.3)” – comprise the “Technical Response” described in Section C?

A. Yes, the Technical Response in Section C and Section F are the same Proposal Forms the vendor must complete and return.

b. If so, should Offerors plan to submit the elements as a single upload (e.g., bookmarked PDF file) on BidBuy, or do these sections (F.1, F.2, and F.3) need to be prepared and submitted separately?

A. Sections F.1, F.2, and F.3 are to be completed and submitted as one document, separate documents are not required.

c. If the Technical Response is to be prepared and uploaded as a single file, can/should

Offerors provide a Transmittal Letter at the beginning and/or an Appendix at the end (to include referenced items, e.g., Sample Reports)?

A. Offerors can provide a Transmittal Letter with their Technical Response to provide an outline of their response.

60. Regarding Section C. Proposal Requirements > C.1 Required Documents on page 5 of the RFP, cross-referenced with Section F. Proposal Forms on pages 19-20 of the RFP: In Section F, Offerors are instructed to complete and return two bullets of information related to Commitment to Diversity: Section F.4 and the Vendor Answer Sheet. However, the instruction in F.4 largely seems to direct an Offeror back to accessing the Vendor Answer Sheet and the supporting guidance graphic and supporting narrative. Will IDOR confirm that this understanding is correct, such that the Vendor Answer Sheet comprises the lone document to be completed and submitted as an Offeror’s Commitment to Diversity document?

A. That is correct, Section F.4. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, provides the Chief Procurement

Officer for General Service’s website to obtain the Vendor Submission Forms. In Section F.

PROPOSAL FORMS provides the forms vendors must complete and return. The Commitment to Diversity – Vendor Answer Sheet (See Attachment in BidBuy) must be completed and returned with the submission.

61. Regarding Section F. Proposal Forms > F.1 Contract Requirements > F.1 table on pages 20-28 of the RFP: Unlike the tables for F.2 and F.3, F.1 provides checkboxes to indicate agreement with requirements F.1.1 through F.1.19. Please confirm that Offerors are required only to indicate agreement and that no separate additional narrative is required in response to F.1.1 through F.1.19.

A. Per the CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, Section F.1.1. through F.1.19., please read each contract requirement carefully and respond to each requirement in F.1. These contract requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation. Vendors are instructed to acknowledge the contract Terms by checking each box with no additional narrative. If the vendor does not provide acknowledgement of the contract Terms, the vendor may provide a separate narrative to explain why they’re not in agreement.

62. Regarding Section F. Proposal Forms on pages 19-20 of the RFP: Should each narrative response section of F.2 and F.3 be preceded by the completed respective table from the RFP?

A. Section F.2. MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS WITH EVIDENCE

Please check “Met” to each of the mandatory requirements for the proposed solution. A vendor that does not provide substantiating evidence for each requirement will be disqualified and the rest of the proposal will not be scored.

These Mandatory Requirements shall be included in any contract resulting from this solicitation.

Please provide substantiating evidence in your Proposed Technical Solution. Use the column on the right labeled “Proposal Section and Page Number” to indicate the section and page number where your evidence/response to each item may be found. The State will evaluate vendor’s evidence/response to verify the mandatory requirement is met.

Vendor’s will need to include the Vendor’s Proposal Section and Page Number from their proposal in their response.

F.3. PROPOSED TECHNICAL SOLUTION – DESIRABLE ELEMENTS

Please explain how your organization meets or will meet each of the desirable elements.

Use the column on the right labeled “Vendor’s Proposal Section and Page Number” to indicate the section and page number of your proposal where your response to each item may be found.

Vendor’s will need to include the Vendor’s Proposal Section and Page Number from their proposal in their response.

63. Regarding Section F. Proposal Forms > F.5 Pricing on pages 33-34 of the RFP: Offerors are advised to submit pricing in the Quote Items tab on BidBuy, and that the contract is contingency fee percentage based. Are the fields on BidBuy for this information set up for entering percentages accordingly?

A. BidBuy will show the line item Net Unit Cost and Total Cost in dollars but the actual Unit of

Measurement is percentage. For example, to bid a fee percentage of 1% of first-time placed debt, you would enter $1.00 for Net Unit Cost. (Contingency Fee - Not Dollar Value) and has a separate line item for the second placement/litigation line item. Do not enter cost, pricing, or any discount information in the Alternate Description field. Entering cost, pricing or discount information in the Alternate Description may result in disqualification.

64. Regarding BEP Utilization Plan: What date should Offerors provide for “Anticipated start date of the Certified BEP/VBP Vendor?” Should they use July 1, 2026 as provided in the schedule of the

RFP?

A. That is correct, the Anticipated start date of the Certified BEP/VBP Vendor should be July 1, 2026.

65. Regarding BEP Utilization Plan: Offerors must complete the blank fields for the following statement: “This participation agreement shall have a term date from________ to _________, with a total period of ________years and ______months, including renewals, change orders or extensions to the underlying contract.” Should Offerors provide dates that match the full maximum ten (10) years for this contract?

A. Per the JPMC FY27-31 Collection Services RFP document, Section A.5.1. TERM OF THIS

CONTRACT: The contracts resulting from this procurement will have an initial term commencing on July 1, 2026, and ending on June 30, 2031. There are no renewal options available for this solicitation.

66. Regarding BEP Utilization Plan > Utilization Plan Part III on pages 7-8: If an Offeror is proposing a

BEP certified firm as part of their proposal, are they still required to complete the Action Checklist in this section? Please confirm or otherwise clarify that it would not be required to complete the checklist in this circumstance.

A. Per the BEP Utilization Plan, when the Offeror is proposing a BEP certified firm as part of their proposal: Bidder/offeror has identified BEP/VBP certified subcontractor(s) to fully meet the assigned BEP/VBP goal. Only BEP/VBP certified subcontractors registered in at least one of the NIGP Code(s) identified in the solicitation may be used to meet the BEP/VBP goal. Subcontractors that are dually BEP and VBP certified may only be counted towards either goal, not both. (If checked, complete and submit the signed Part I Commitment and signed Part II Subcontracting Participation Agreement(s) (PA). A signed PA must be submitted for each subcontractor.)

67. Volumes & Quantities, B.2 - While you have specified the volumes for Individual Income Tax (IIT) and that of All Other Tax Types and Other State Agencies Debt, however we want to know what percentage of total non IIT debt that is individual consumers versus commercial businesses?

A. There is only state agency debt, no consumer or commercial business debt.

68. Volumes & Quantities, B.2 - After the first set of placements (which would be the volumes indicated in B.2 split by the number of vendors awarded the biz) but recurring placements after the initial placements - will they be weekly/monthly/quarterly? Question for both First placements and Second Placements… and what would be the volume for those recurring placements?

A. Placements are weekly. The volume depends on tax cycles with September and October being the highest volumes. For example, with four vendors last fiscal year all months, save for September and October, averaged 2,000 to 3,000 cases, while September and October saw approximately 10,000 cases placed each month.

69. Volumes & Quantities, B.2 - Will there be joint taxpayers placed?

70. Volumes & Quantities, B.2 - Regarding the volumes for Seconds Placements - while it says that

“The Second Placements shall be the same as the First Placements above plus the efforts of a private collection agency on a prior placement” – this should mean that the volume of Seconds placements should technically be the First placement volumes less whatever the First Placement Agencies liquidated, less any balance adjustments (including disputes, offsets, credits etc.), less any other closures (death, bankruptcy etc.). Even if the liquidation for the first placements is 25% and another 10% for everything else, roughly 65% of First volumes should flow forward as Seconds placements, right? Question is do we use Seconds volumes as provided or use this statement above as guidance? As the volumes provided are a fifth of the First volumes…

A. Use the numbers provided. Between first and second placements also includes IDOR administrative enforcement activity.

71. Contract Requirements, F.1.12 - Regarding "...….vendor shall return the account along with all documents and records pertaining to such account within thirty (30) days of the date of such written notice." Can you provide a list of the documents the state would like to see included when an account is closed and returned? For example, account notes, call logs, copies of correspondence etc.

A. This could vary from state agency to state agency. In most instances IDOR would require only documentation related to any on-going payment plans that were in place. However, IDOR reserves the right to request any records associated with a placed account for audit and review purposes, which would include transcripts of all communications and data entry on accounts as well as call logs and system notes.

72. Contract Requirements, F.1.13.3 - Please clarify if the awarded vendor will need to establish a dedicated trust for monies collected under this contract or if a general trust can be used.

A. Dedicated trust.

73. Contract Requirements, F.1.19 - Can we participate in the RFP if we choose to perform all other collection activities like asset investigation, skip tracing, debtor negotiation through letters, emails, phone calls and texts but not perform legal collections or litigation?

A. F.1.19 is specific to second placements which must include a litigation process.

74. Contract Requirements, F.1.3 - Are governmental offset programs a leverage vendors can use in their negotiation with debtors?

A. Can the vendor advise a debtor they are subject to offsets? Yes.

75. Contract Requirements, F.1.3 - Is administrative wage garnishment (AWG) allowed with employers of debtors?

A. Wage garnishments cannot be initiated by the vendor.

76. Contract Requirements, F.1.19 - What is the placement period for First placements? How long would the vendors with First placements have to collect on the debt, before it is recalled and placed as Second Placements?

A. Placement period is 180 days. At that point the placement will be recalled/closed unless the vendor has received a payment from the debtor in the last 90 days.

77. Contract Requirements, F.1.19 - Is there a defined period for Second Placements before which it must be referred or escalated to litigation / legal collections?

A. No, that would be at the discretion of the vendor with consent from IDOR.

78. Contract Requirements, F.1.19 - Is there a defined placement period for Second Placements vendors, like 180 days or 270 days after which the debt must be recalled?

A. Contractually vendors can work second placements for 24 months if litigation is part of the collection process. However, it is highly encouraged that vendors return cases no later than 365 days if no litigation is contemplated or no payments are being received. Also, IDOR will recall placements after 180 days if assets are identified by IDOR and no payments have been received by the vendor in the last 90 days.

79. Contract Requirements, F.1.9 - Would any settlement authority be allowed either blanket or case by case approval basis, for the debts with St. of IL or any other debts with other state departments?

A. The vendor can compromise their fees but cannot compromise or settle any other state debt.

80. Contract Requirements, F.1.9 - What has been the historical rate of return or liquidation rate provided by any incumbent(s), and what is expected recovery rates as result of this procurement? Please specify by product and stage of collections: Individual Income Tax, Business Tax, and Other State Agency debt as First Placements, AND Individual Income Tax, Business Tax, and Other State Agency debt as Second Placements.

A. Please see the agency response to question 49 above.

81. Contract Requirements, F.2.2 - “All collection activity must be performed from a location within the borders of the State of Illinois.”

• Are partners allowed to have collection agents and supervisory staff that work from home within the state of IL?

A. Yes. Note: IDOR reserves the right to visit and inspect the remote work site.

• Can managers and above, like Directors, VPs, who are not going to be directly collecting as frontline staff but will have access to collections data, be present outside of the state of IL?

• Can backend teams, like file management teams, IT and system teams, compliance and regulatory monitoring teams, that have access to collections data but are not involved in frontline collections or communication with debtors, be located outside of IL and offshore (India and Philippines)?

A. Out of state, yes.

Offshore, no. Please see the Offer to the State of Illinois, Section C. WHERE ARE SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED document attached in BidBuy:

considered in the evaluation. If the Offeror performs the services purchased hereunder in another country in violation of this provision, such action may be deemed by the State as a breach of the contract by Offeror.

known or anticipated value of the services to be performed at each location. If the Offeror received additional consideration in the evaluation based on work being performed in the United States, it shall be a breach of contract if the Offeror shifts any such work outside the United States.

82. Contract Requirements, F.2.2 - Can payment application be performed at an office outside of the state of IL, collections would be within the state of IL.

A. Yes. However, all mailings and returned mail must include an Illinois address.