RP023_26 INV Combined.pdf

RP026-19 Page 1 Failure to return this page as part of the proposal document may result in rejection of proposal.

July 8, 2026

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

RP023-26

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners is soliciting competitive sealed proposals from qualified service providers for the Provision of Merchant Processing Services on a Multi-Year Contract for the Department of Financial Services.

Proposals must be returned in a sealed container marked on the outside with the Request for Proposal number and Company Name. Proposals will be received until 2:50 P.M. local time on July 30, 2026 at the Gwinnett County Financial Services - Purchasing Division – 2nd Floor, 75 Langley Drive, Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046.

Any proposal received after this date and time will not be accepted.

The proposal opening will be virtual ONLY. To access the proposal opening virtually, visit this link. A list of firms submitting proposals will be available the following business day on our website www.GwinnettCounty.com.

Questions regarding proposals should be directed to Blake Christopher, Purchasing Associate II at Blake.Christopher@GwinnettCounty.com or by calling 770-822-8820, no later than July 16, 2026. Proposals are legal and binding upon the vendor when submitted. One unbound original and four (4) copies should be submitted.

Successful service providers will be required to meet insurance requirements. The Insurance Company should be authorized to do business in Georgia by the Georgia Insurance Department, and must have an A.M. Best rating of A-7 or higher.

Gwinnett County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to its programs or activities. Any requests for reasonable accommodations required by individuals to fully participate in any open meeting, program or activity of Gwinnett County Government should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Gwinnett County Justice and Administration Center, 770-822-8165.

The written proposal documents supersede any verbal or written prior communications between the parties.

Selection criteria are outlined in the request for proposal documents. Gwinnett County reserves the right to reject any or all proposals to waive technicalities, and to make an award deemed in its best interest.

Award notification will be posted after award on the County website, www.GwinnettCounty.com and companies submitting a proposal will be notified via email.

We look forward to your proposal and appreciate your interest in Gwinnett County.

Blake Christopher Purchasing Associate II https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/22163018116381?p=Dai4Gz4zp1ZgTlVcgc Blake.Christopher@GwinnettCounty.com

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SECTION I: INTRODUCTION

A. Purpose of Request for Proposal ("RFP")

The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners (“the County”), through the Department of Financial Services (DOFS), requests sealed proposals to provide merchant processing services to the County.

This RFP includes information regarding the County’s current systems, service requirements, regulatory requirements, and estimated transaction volumes. This information should be used as the basis for preparing the proposals. Due to the infrastructure the County has in place that is unique to the various departments, the solution submitted must work with and support the systems the County currently has without any additional costs to the County. The County is looking for a solution that will work seamlessly with current systems. Service providers should submit proposals that conform directly to the baseline service requirements.

Service providers are encouraged to submit clear and concise responses, and excessive length or extraneous information is discouraged. In an effort to ensure the ability to evaluate and choose a successful service provider for this project, service providers are encouraged to be responsive to the specific range of issues requested in this solicitation. Submission of excessive “boiler plate” information, including sales brochures, is discouraged. Service providers should not submit website links in lieu of written responses. Website links and any information contained within may not be reviewed or considered by the County.

All responses should follow the format in the RFP.

B. Objectives

It is the intention of the County to award the contract to a single Service Provider.

The County’s objectives include:

1. Providing exceptional customer service and enhanced level of convenience for customers and taxpayers in financial dealings with the County;

2. Maximizing the use of existing technology and leveraging the use of new technology solutions, where appropriate, without additional costs to the County.

3. Providing services necessary to maintain current payment card acceptance operations and expand these services to support future growth using secure and reliable payment processing solutions.

C. Card Processing Services Overview County departments and offices that accept merchant card payments are listed in this RFP. Merchant Identification Numbers (MIDs) are assigned by department, payment channel or departmental division. The County currently uses Elavon to process Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check transactions. Certain departments and offices may maintain merchant processing agreements with other service providers outside of the scope of this proposal.

The current contract with Elavon, Inc. expires December 31, 2026. As of June 1, 2026 Gwinnett County has a total of 53 Merchant ID’s (MID) assigned to them and 175 terminals (see below). In 2025, the County processed 1.9 million transactions totaling $278.4 million. These transactions were processed in person, online, and over the phone.

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Transaction and Sales Volume

Department # of MID’s 2025 Transaction Volume 2025 Sales Volume Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) 3 1,730,744 $231,066,025.84

Dept. Of Community Services/Parks & Rec 8 126,981 $7,170,660.60 Courts 20 56,370 $4,662,755.19 Dept. of Planning & Development (P&D) 5 30,680 $29,957,292.64 Police Department 8 9,325 $361,979.96 Fire & Emergency Services 3 11,619 $2,455,702.29 Dept. of Transportation 1 1,202 $487,927.64 Dept. of Human Resources 1 3,296 $1,143,058.92 Dept. of Support Services 2 919 $878,015.89 Sheriff’s Department 1 17 $91.19 Law Department 1 4,988 $222,695.95

Please refer to Gwinnett County’s website, www.GwinnettCounty.com for a complete listing of departments, elected officials, appointed positions and courts.

Terminals

Department Terminal Type # of

Terminals Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) UMax via Paymentus to Converge (Online) 1 Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) Five9 to Converge (IVR) 1 Dept. of Water Resources (DWR) iNovah through Bluefin (in person) PAX A80 terminals 9 Dept. Of Community Services CivicPlus through Converge (online) 2 Dept. Of Community Services Converge hosted payment page (online) 3 Dept. Of Community Services CivicPlus through Converge (in person) LANE5000 terminals 73 Dept. Of Community Services Ingenico Desk3500 (in person) 2

Courts INGENICO Desk3500 52 Dept. of Planning & Development (P&D) iNovah through Converge (online) 1 Dept. of Planning & Development (P&D) iNovah through Bluefin (in person) PAX A80 terminals 2 Dept. of Planning & Development (P&D) Teller through Converge (in person) Link3600 terminals 6 Dept. of Planning & Development (P&D) Accela via Teller to Converge (online) 1 Dept. of Planning & Development (P&D) Converge hosted payment page (online) 1 Police Department Teller through Converge (in person) Link3600 terminals 2 Police Department Ingenico Desk3500 (in person) 8 Fire & Emergency Services Converge hosted payment page (online) 3 Dept. of Transportation Ingenico Desk3500 2 Dept. of Human Resources Converge hosted payment page (online) 1 Dept. of Support Services Converge hosted payment page (online) 1 Dept. of Support Services iNovah through Bluefin (in person) PAX A80 terminals 2 Sheriff Department Converge mobile (in person) RP457C card reader 1 Law Department GovQA through Converge (online) 1 http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/

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D. Settlement and Chargeback Account Information

Transaction settlements along with reversals and chargebacks related to the service provided under this RFP will be posted to bank accounts maintained by the County under its banking services agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, NA. Bank account information will be provided at time of award.

E. Contract Administration

The Gwinnett County Department of Financial Services (DOFS), Treasury Division, will administer this contract and oversee the implementation and/or transition of service provider by department and by merchant. The Department of Financial Services Treasury Director may approve changes to the contract including additions, removals, or modifications to merchant products and services. The Treasury Division is responsible for establishing new merchant ID’s, setting budget for processing and coordinating billing, equipment and related services.

F. Gwinnett County Payment Channels Include:

• Interactive Voice Response (IVR):

• Telephone Call Centers

• Web-based collections through proprietary systems

• Retail Point of Sale

SECTION II: SCOPE OF SERVICES

A. Services Included

The following services are included in the scope of this request for proposal:

1. Credit Card and Debit Card payment processing services

2. Managed Service Fee Program for selected Departments, Agencies, and Courts

3. Electronic Check (e-check) payment processing services

B. Services Excluded

The following services are specifically excluded from the scope of this RFP:

1. EBT, Gift Card and Loyalty Card programs

2. Payroll Card programs

3. POS Prepaid programs

4. B2B or B2C electronic invoicing, bill presentment or payment

5. Disbursement or accounts payable solutions

6. Purchasing Card (P-Card) programs

7. Website development services

8. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system development

C. Other Accounts

The merchants described herein constitute the MID’s required and requested by the County at the time of issuance of this RFP. Information provided within this RFP should be used by the selected Service Provider to establish, configure, and implement payment processing services for the identified merchants.

The selected service provider will agree to provide additional MIDs as requested by the Department of Financial Services - Treasury Division for any Office of a Gwinnett County elected official, Court, agency, or any Gwinnett County Department. Any additional MIDs established during the contract term shall be subject to the same pricing structure, service levels, terms, and conditions awarded under this Agreement unless otherwise mutually agreed upon in writing.

D. Other Services

The Gwinnett County Department of Financial Services - Treasury Division will review and approve any additional merchant services, MID requests, and associated fees or charges not specifically identified within

RP026-19 Page 5 this RFP. The awarded service provider will assist the County with the transition of existing current merchant services processing in accordance with a pre-determined, phased implementation schedule established by the Treasury Division. The selected service provider shall cooperate fully in coordinating implementation activities, testing, training, and deployment – including providing on-site support for County specified merchants, to minimize operational disruption to County departments.

Upon expiration or termination, the service provider shall continue to provide uninterrupted services under the existing pricing, terms, and conditions until all merchant processing services, data, equipment and related operations have been successfully transitioned to the County or newly awarded service provider. The service provider shall provide reasonable transition assistance, including data conversion, token migration, file transfers, reporting access, equipment decommissioning, and operational support, at no additional cost to the County. The service provider shall not impose termination assistance fees, deconversion fees, early termination, token migration, or data extraction fees upon contract expiration or termination.

SECTION III: PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals should be responsive to all items noted in the request for proposal. It may also include supplemental material(s) that further illustrate the responder’s ability to successfully provide the scope of services outlined in this request.

A. Qualifications

1. Introductions

a. Name of Company

b. Relationship management team org chart

i. Biographical information

ii. Contact information

iii. Roles and responsibilities

c. Contact information for customer service manager

d. Contact information for information technology manager

e. Total number of active tier-3 support clients

f. Address for proposed processor site

2. Company Overview

a. Detail company’s experience providing the products and services under consideration. Include at a minimum:

i. Number of years providing merchant processing and related services

ii. Description of services and capabilities

iii. Key attributes, qualifications and technical competencies

iv. Experience with supporting utility clients and government entities as well as experience with high-volume transaction processing environments

v. Customer service and support capabilities

vi. Integration experience with utility billing systems, ERP systems and other payment platforms.

b. State why the service provider should be selected over a competitor.

c. Discuss the service provider’s representation on MasterCard, Visa, NACHA or other payment industry boards or committees.

d. Has the service provider ever filed for bankruptcy? If yes, what is the status of bankruptcy filing?

e. Has the service provider ever experienced a loss of customer data? If yes, please describe the incident(s) as well as corrective actions taken and security improvements implemented as a result.

f. Please provide the monthly overall volume of merchant processing transactions for the service provider’s largest customers.

3. Third Party Processing Please explain if the service provider will provide all services directly for the County or if third parties will be utilized to provide any portion of the services. Include copies of third-party processing agreements.

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a. If the service provider contracts with a third party, please describe the years of service the company has been doing business with the third party and the relationship.

b. How will the County be assured of service quality and responsiveness?

c. Will the County be required to contract with any networks or associations directly for processing services, settlement services, or both as a condition of your company providing processing services?

If so, please include agreements.

d. If there is a third-party processor used, list the escalation method and contact list for resolution of issues related to settlement, banking debits/credits, duplicate charges, and network issues. If an Independent Service Organization (ISO) is utilized, they must be PCI compliant and provide attestation.

4. This table is a general guide and is not intended to be a complete list of all work necessary to complete the project. The service provider should satisfy the following minimum requirements, please check yes or no indicating the response to each:

Requirement YES NO

1. Provide new retail merchant card processing equipment at no cost to the County.

Equipment must not be refurbished.

a. Pre-program equipment with the applicable merchant profile prior to shipment, including MID, name, address, and phone number.

b. Test equipment prior to shipment to ensure correct configuration; voiding any test transactions prior to delivery.

c. Provide Gwinnett County with the option to receive an invoice or direct debit of the requested bank account for any replacement equipment.

d. Ensure all terminals are PCI-DSS compliant. ☐ ☐

2. Process all transactions through the required payment channels as requested. ☐ ☐

a. Capable of integrating with the following systems the County currently uses:

Civic Plus, Accela, iNovah, Oracle Fusion, UMax/Paymentus, and Bluefin.

3. Provide e-check services ☐ ☐

4. Support tap-to-pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay or other EMV, contactless, or other digital wallets.

5. Provide managed service fee services. ☐ ☐

6. Have the ability to program multiple MID’s tied to multiple bank accounts, regular or managed service fee, to a single terminal.

7. Provide electronic authorization, data capture and settlement services for all Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express credit and debit transactions.

8. Offer next business day funding. ☐ ☐

9. Support multiple settlements to bank accounts at the MID level. ☐ ☐

10. Provide customizable daily online reporting for prior-day activity, transaction details and settlement information at no additional cost to the County.

11. Provide training for staff on online reporting tools. ☐ ☐

12. Provide security administration capabilities to manage user access to online reporting (add/delete users)

13. Provide returned item data via electronic file, if requested by merchant, at no additional charge.

14. Assign a dedicated relationship manager with at least five years of government merchant processing experience.

15. Conduct annual merchant relationship reviews. ☐ ☐

16. Conduct annual PCI-DSS compliance reviews of County-wide activity and confirm compliance.

17. Provide an implementation manager to facilitate on-site installation of products and services at times convenient to merchant.

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Requirement YES NO

18. Provide training, resources, and support for merchants via telephone, internet, or onsite.

19. Provide a toll-free customer service number for support or issue resolution at no additional cost.

20. Answer all public inquiries regarding functionality while merchants will answer inquiries regarding electronic payment processing issues (including acceptance, reversal, duplicate or fraudulent charges, etc.).

21. Integrate applications through payment channels listed at no additional cost to the County.

22. Support IVR and Internet payment applications and ensure 24/7 availability through the County’s official website.

23. Respond to all merchant inquiries regarding system use, terminals, software, settlement and processing.

24. Provide various financial reports, including volume, discounts and fees as requested.

25. Provide cost and transaction analysis by card type and Merchant ID, upon request. ☐ ☐

26. Apply merchant processing fees to net sales only. ☐ ☐

27. Debit processing fees from the bank accounts designated by the Department of Financial Services.

28. Provide broadcast notifications to Gwinnett end users notifying of sudden or planned system outages, maintenance or operational issues at no additional charge.

29. Comply with PCI Point-to Point Encryption (P2PE) requirements and minimize the collection of personal information.

30. Ensure the security and confidentiality of all transaction-related data and do not share or distribute such data to any third-party organizations. The County will own all user data provided and collected.

31. Utilize tokenization technology to submit and process transactions without storing actual payment card data.

32. Maintain current Level 1 compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) requirements to protect cardholder data and provide a current Attestation of Compliance (AOC) upon request.

33. Provide a PCI Responsibility Matrix that outlines PCI requirements pertaining to the service provider and PCI requirements pertaining to the County.

34. Provide confirmation of Terminal ID (TID) deactivation when a terminal is removed from service.

35. Participate in the Visa and MasterCard Convenience Fee and/or Managed Service Fee Programs, as applicable with “single dip” processing capabilities.

36. Implement and maintain highly secured systems utilizing strong cryptography and secure communication protocols to safeguard the integrity, confidentiality, and security of payment transactions and related data.

37. Ensure that all payment applications comply with applicable PA-DSS requirements and support real-time and/or batch processing methods for importing data from the County’s systems and exporting processed data back to the County’s systems.

All implementation, configuration, integration, and development services required for such functionality should be provided at no additional cost to the County.

38. Transmit or make available for download by the County, electronic files containing daily transaction details and summary reports no later than 8:00 AM EST on the next business following each debit or credit card transaction. The service provider

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Requirement YES NO shall also provide transaction listings, deposit summaries and custom reporting capabilities for individual merchants, at no additional cost to the County.

39. Deliver all user manuals, technical documentation, training materials and related documentation necessary for County merchants to effectively utilize and support the payment solutions provided.

40. Provide same-day e-mail notification of any electronic transmission failure, at no additional cost to the County.

41. Assist the County in testing any proposed solutions, products and services prior to public deployment or release, at no additional cost to the County.

42. Connect to the payment gateway using secure HTTPS POST methods and/or WEBSERVICES and support automated data transfers using Secure FTP (SFTP) for nightly batch payment processing.

43. Deposit funds due to County merchants based upon processing requirements, existing systems, and real-time or batch processing environments. The County’s preferred funding timeframe is no later than 24 hours after the transaction date.

Any funding delays extending between 3-5 business days must be fully collateralized per Georgia State Collateralization requirements.

44. Review merchant applications to determine if a merchant qualifies as a suitable candidate for participation in a managed service fee program. For approved merchants, the service provider will work with the merchant to identify requirements, implement, configure, train, test and deploy programs, at no additional cost to the County.

45. Provide electronic chargeback notifications to individual merchants as chargebacks occur.

46. Provide online chargeback management capability for reviewing and responding to chargebacks, at no additional cost to the County.

47. Provide monthly chargeback reports itemized by Merchant ID. ☐ ☐

48. Support payment processing through multiple systems and platforms at no additional cost to the County.

49. Utilize commercially reasonable efforts to optimize interchange qualifications and minimize processing costs for the County.

50. Maintain documented Service Level-Agreements (SLAs) for system availability, transaction processing uptime, response times, issue resolution, and customer support. The service provide shall provide SLA metrics and performance reporting upon request.

51. Notify the County within twenty-four (24) hours of discovery of any actual or suspected cybersecurity incident, data breach, unauthorized access, or compromise involving County systems, payment data, or confidential information.

B. Understanding of Proposal

1. Customer Service

a. Discuss the customer service function and support model to include:

i. How merchant and/or citizen inquiries are received and resolved

ii. Customer support channels available plus hours of operation based on support type

iii. Average response and resolution times

iv. Escalation procedures, issue prioritization methods, ticketing and case management procedures

v. Performance measurements and metrics used to track service calls, outstanding tickets, and customer satisfaction

vi. Is the customer support function outsourced or performed in-house? Include an escalation contact list outlining detailed positions and responsibilities.

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vii. Will the County be assigned one main customer service representative that is familiar with the County account instead of going through a call center?

b. Does the service provider provide a regionally based support engineer as a single point of contact with a direct contact number? If no, please describe the geographical locations of the support engineers that will be available 24x7x365 for critical issues.

c. Does company provide a 15-minute guaranteed SLA response time for a senior engineer to begin working a critical issue? Is this available 24x7x365? If so, please describe.

2. Account Management

a. Describe the methods used to notify the County of system outages, processing disruptions, reporting site unavailability, security incidents or any other events, planned or unplanned, that may impact payment processing.

b. Describe the methods, tools or account management practices used to ensure the County continuously optimizes payment processing costs and remains aligned with industry’s best practices.

c. Describe procedures and controls used to ensure transactions qualify for the lowest eligible interchange category. Include information regarding interchange monitoring, reporting of downgraded transactions, notice of interchange qualification issues and recommendations to improve qualification rates and reduce processing costs.

d. Describe the ongoing support, feedback and recommendations provided to merchants to improve payment acceptance operations. Include strategies for reducing chargeback and fraud, enhancing operational efficiency, maintaining regulatory and PCI compliance, implementing system or process improvements and responding to card brand or industry rule changes.

e. Explain the process for adding new merchant locations, payment channels, and Merchant ID Number’s, as well as the process for closing, consolidating, or modifying existing merchant accounts.

Include implementation timelines, required documentation and approval processes.

f. Describe the process for resolving billing discrepancies, fee disputes, settlement variances, and invoice-related issues. Include escalation procedures, assigned points of contact, expected response and resolution timeframes, and any reporting available to assist in issue resolution.

3. Debit card processing

a. Describe the service provider’s experience providing debit card processing capabilities for government entities and large organizations. Include the debit networks supported as well as any specialized capabilities related to debit card acceptance across card-present, card-not-present, e-commerce, mobile and integrated payment channels.

b. Explain how debit transactions are routed to the lowest-cost eligible network while maintaining authorization performance, reliability, and compliance with card brand and regulatory requirements.

c. Describe the service provider’s support for both PIN-based and PIN-less debit transactions across all payment channels, including in-person, online, mobile, and recurring payment environments. Identify any limitations or requirements with these processing options.

4. Charge-backs, Disputes, Refunds Describe system, processes and support services available for managing charge-backs disputes, fraud claims and refunds.

a. Describe the end-to-end chargeback and dispute management process, including notification methods, case tracking, response submission, representment, arbitration, and final resolution.

Include applicable timelines and service level expectations.

b. Describe the methods available for notifying County merchants of chargebacks, disputes, retrieval requests and related activities. Include electronic delivery options such as online portals, email notifications, or other system-generated alerts.

c. The County prefers electronic receipt, transmission, and management of all chargeback and dispute documentation. Describe how the proposed solution accommodates electronic workflows, including document upload capabilities, automated case management, status tracking, and reporting.

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d. The County requires monthly chargeback reporting covering a rolling 12-month period. Describe the standard and customizable reports available. At a minimum this monthly report should include all chargebacks itemized by Merchant ID Number as well as their status.

5. Value-Added Services

Describe additional value-added services, technologies, tools or products may enhance the County’s payment acceptance environment, improve operational efficiency, strengthen security, increase revenue collection, reduce costs, and/or improve customer payment experience. Include pricing in the Fee Schedule (to be submitted in a separate sealed envelope).

C. Technical Merit

1. Information Technology Service

a. Provide an organizational chart of your company’s Information Technology group supporting the proposed solution. Identify key personnel, reporting relationships, roles, responsibilities and areas of expertise. Describe the resources dedicated to software development, infrastructure management, cybersecurity, systems integration, quality assurance, and technical support.

b. Describe how the Information Technology Group has accommodated client-specific requirements, customized development requests, integrations, programming modifications, consulting services or other technology enhancements during the past two years. Discuss those specific client requests including client type, description of the request, services provided, development/implementation timeline, associated costs and the outcome.

c. Describe the company’s cybersecurity program and security governance framework. Indicate whether the proposed solution and supporting infrastructure undergo independent third-party penetration testing. Include the date of the most recent penetration test and frequency of testing.

Provide a copy or summary of the report.

d. What is the average system uptime? Is this regional or for the entire service area? How does the service provider define/calculate “uptime” and is there any exceptions, e.g. scheduled maintenance?

e. State the total number of tier-3 support tickets closed in the past year as a service provider, and for the services under consideration. Do not include tickets related to consulting, managed services, etc.

2. Disaster Recovery/Contingency Plan

Provide a detailed description of the service provider’s Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity Plan.

The response should address the resiliency, redundancy, and recovery capabilities supporting merchant processing operations. Include details regarding primary and secondary data center locations, an explanation of “hot site” back up capabilities available in the event of a complete site failure, recovery time objectives for critical systems supporting payment processing, and the expected timeframe required to restore full operational capabilities based on the level of outage. Also include details regarding the frequency and scope of disaster recovery, business continuity and failover testing activities as well as the results of the most recent disaster recovery test.

3. PCI-DSS Compliance

Describe the service provider’s compliance with current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) and related payment card security requirements. Include information regarding current PCI- DSS compliance status and validation level, copies of the most recent PCI Attestation of Compliance, Report on Compliance or other documentation demonstrating PCI-DSS compliance. Also include procedures for notifying clients of any changes to compliance status, security incidents, or data breaches that may affect cardholder data.

4. Tokenization

Describe the service provider’s tokenization solution and the requirements for implementing and maintaining a tokenization program. Include the types of payment channels supported, technical resources or requirements needed from the County to implement tokenization, integration requirements

RP026-19 Page 11 and compatibility with existing payment applications, gateways and third-party systems and procedures for token migration in the event the County transitions to another payment processor in the future.

5. Testing, Certification and Test System

a. Describe any certification requirements for new or existing hardware, software, integrations, or payment applications used with the service provider’s solution. Costs, if any, associated with this certification should be included in the fee schedule (in a separate sealed envelope).

b. Describe the service provider’s test and certification environment and the resources available to support development, testing, and ongoing maintenance. Include the availability (days/hours) of test environments, process for conducting test transactions, availability or test accounts, test cards and supported payment types, and any test reports, servers, or sandbox environments available.

c. Describe the deployment, key management, and encryption services provided as part of the service provider’s solution. Include whether these services are performed directly by the service provider or through a third party. Describe how maintenance/deployment processes are to be handled during the contract period including the procedures for software updates, hardware replacements, and encryption key management.

d. The County requires the ability to integrate with the payment gateway using HTTPS POST requests, APIs, web services and other industry-standard integration methods. Describe the service provider’s supported integration methods and protocols, available APIs and developer tools, authentication and security requirements, supported data formats for requests and responses, technical documentation and implementation support available to County staff and vendors, and any limitations or requirements related to connectivity, hosting, or system compatibility.

6. Processing Environment Authorizations

a. Provide a schematic diagram of the proposed processing environment, a description of network connectivity, communication methods and transmission protocols utilized, plus any connections to payment networks, card brands, processors, gateways and other third-party service providers.

Indicate if any of these services are performed by subcontractors or third parties.

b. Describe any voice authorization services available as part of the solution including availability, information required to obtain authorization, and quality assurance and call monitoring practices.

c. Provide a diagram of the service provdier’s processing environment including:

• Communication type

• Connections to networks

• Associations

• Redundancies

• Current host processing system capacity

• Current host processing system scalability

d. Describe the authorization message formats, communication protocols, and integration standards supported by your solution.

e. What communications protocol(s) does the service provider’s system require or support?

f. Who is responsible for providing communication equipment, routers, switches, etc. between the service provider’s host and the County’s merchants?

g. Describe the procedure for acquisition of any hardware or software required to support the proposed processing solution.

7. Settlement Services

a. Describe batch closing options, both automated and manual processes, available settlement schedules and cutoff times. What is the latest time transactions can be submitted for next business-day settlement?

b. Describe how settlement and funding are handled for weekdays, weekends, and Federal or banking holidays. Include any assumptions, processing windows and expected funding timelines by payment type. Provide staggered settlement options and the availability of manual settlement options when

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c. Does the system have an automatic cutoff if a merchant does not perform an end-of-day batch close?

If so, indicate the cutoff time and describe the process. Does the service provider provide batch reconciliation services for unresolved or out-of-balance transactions? If yes, describe the process and how reconciliation results, exceptions, and settlement issues are communicated to merchants.

d. Describe the settlement notification options available by payment type.

8. Compliance Provide documentation demonstrating the service provider’s compliance, operational controls, and financial stability. Include a copy of the service provider’s most recent SOC 1 Type II and/or SOC 2 Type II report, or equivalent independent audit report and a copy of the service provider’s latest SAS70 Audit and 2025 Annual Report.

D. Implementation & Project Management Requirements

Provide a comprehensive implementation and conversion plan detailing how your organization will ensure a seamless, secure and successful transition of Gwinnett County’s merchant processing services should your company be selected. Include at a minimum a detailed project timeline, the implementation team supporting both remotely and on-site, training plans for end-users, testing procedures prior to deployment and risk mitigation strategies. Vendors should also describe any resources, information, or support required from Gwinnett County to facilitate successful implementation.

E. References Gwinnett County requires that a minimum of three (3) references be submitted for work performed for clients similar in both size, scope and complexity of the County. Public sector references are preferred.

For each reference include the organization name, type, size of organization and scope of services provided, contact information (phone number and e-mail), number of merchant locations, length of business relationship, annual transaction and sales volume and name of relationship manager assigned. Please make sure the reference contact information is correct.

F. Cost Proposal & Project Implementation Cost Schedules

Within the sealed proposal package, the “cost proposal” should be enclosed in a separate sealed envelope to from the technical proposal and marked with your company name, the proposal number and labeled “PROPOSAL FEE AND PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION COST SCHEDULES.” Proposals sent via facsimile or e-mail will not be considered.

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SECTION III: SELECTION PROCESS

Proposals will be evaluated based on the relative responsiveness to the criteria described above and with the following values assigned:

Criteria Points

Phase I

A. Qualifications and Scope of Services 10

B. Understanding of Proposal 30

C. Technical Merit 30

D.

Implementation & Project Management Requirements

E. References 10

Sub-Total/Points 90 points

Phase II

Cost (to be submitted separately in a sealed envelope) 10 points

Phase III

Optional Interview 10 points

Total Points 110 points

Basis of Short-Listing / Selection

Phase I – Initially, proposals will be evaluated based on their relative responsiveness to the criteria described above and will be scored based on the point values as shown.

Phase II – Service providers may be short-listed for further consideration. The Cost Proposals of the short-listed service providers from Part I will be opened, reviewed, and scored with the lowest cost receiving the most points and the other service providers receiving proportional points based on the differences in proposal costs.

Phase III – At Gwinnett’s discretion, or as deemed in Gwinnett's best interest, service providers may be short-listed a second time for an interview/demonstration. At this time, Gwinnett may request further information, explanations, clarifications, presentations, interviews, demonstrations, or meetings with some or all of the remaining service providers.

If interviews are necessary for selection, evaluation will be performed using a 0–10-point scoring system.

All presentations/interviews will be the sole responsibility of the proposing service providers and at no cost to Gwinnett.

If an agreement with the highest ranked service provider cannot be reached, Gwinnett may then negotiate with the second-ranked service provider and so on until a satisfactory agreement has been reached.

Gwinnett reserves the right to cancel the Request for Proposal for any reason and at any point in the selection process if deemed appropriate by Gwinnett.

RP026-19 Page 14

(SUBMIT IN A SEPARATE SEALED ENVELOPE)

PROPOSAL FEE SCHEDULE

PRICING YEAR 1 (January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027)

Using the volume and transaction data provided, calculate total annual fees. Include the percentage and dollar value used in calculating fees. Include any ancillary monthly fees required for normal maintenance of account MID, reports, internet access, chargebacks, PCI-DSS compliance, etc.

Typical Monthly Transaction Volume (Assumptions)

Network Amount Transactions Average Ticket

Discover $362,997.86 4,438 $81.79

Interlink $41,293.43 180 $229.41

Mastercard $8,163,136.29 44,899 $181.81

NYCE POS Debit $299.00 2 $149.50

Pulse Regional POS Debit $12,472.00 46 $271.13

Visa $13,011,215.26 114,430 $113.70

American Express $1,463,502.68 12,701 $115.23

ECheck $515,320.04 91 $5,662.86

SERVICE PROVIDER NAME____________________________________________________________________________________________

Pricing Model (please place "X" in one) Transactional Card Payment Fees

Interchange-Plus Processor's Rate Markup %

Subscription Authorization Fee Per Item $

Tiered

Flat-Rate

Scheduled Card Payment Fees Incidental Fees

Monthly $ Application\Setup $

Annual $ Early Termination $

Statement $ Account Closure $

Online Reporting $ Address Verification Service $

Monthly Minimum $ Voice Auuthorization $

Terminal/Equipment $ Retrieval Request $

POS Software $ Chargeback $

Payment Gateway $ Batch $

PCI Compliance $ Non-Sufficient Funds $

IRS Reporting $ PCI Compliance $

RP026-19 Page 15

PRICING YEAR 2 (January 1, 2028 – December 31, 2028)

Using the volume and transaction data provided, calculate total annual fees. Include the percentage and dollar value used in calculating fees. Include any ancillary monthly fees required for normal maintenance of account

Discover $362,997.86 4,438 $81.79

Interlink $41,293.43 180 $229.41

Mastercard $8,163,136.29 44,899 $181.81

NYCE POS Debit $299.00 2 $149.50

Pulse Regional POS Debit $12,472.00 46 $271.13

Visa $13,011,215.26 114,430 $113.70

SERVICE PROVIDER NAME____________________________________________________________________________________________

Interchange-Plus Processor's Rate Markup %

Subscription Authorization Fee Per Item $

Tiered

Flat-Rate

Scheduled Card Payment Fees Incidental Fees

Monthly $ Application\Setup $

Annual $ Early Termination $

Statement $ Account Closure $

Online Reporting $ Address Verification Service $

Monthly Minimum $ Voice Auuthorization $

Terminal/Equipment $ Retrieval Request $

POS Software $ Chargeback $

Payment Gateway $ Batch $

RP026-19 Page 16

PRICING YEAR 3 (January 1, 2029 – December 31, 2029)

Using the volume and transaction data provided, calculate total annual fees. Include the percentage and dollar value used in calculating fees. Include any ancillary monthly fees required for normal maintenance of account

Discover $362,997.86 4,438 $81.79

Interlink $41,293.43 180 $229.41

Mastercard $8,163,136.29 44,899 $181.81

NYCE POS Debit $299.00 2 $149.50

Pulse Regional POS Debit $12,472.00 46 $271.13

Visa $13,011,215.26 114,430 $113.70

SERVICE PROVIDER NAME____________________________________________________________________________________________

Interchange-Plus Processor's Rate Markup %

Subscription Authorization Fee Per Item $

Tiered

Flat-Rate

Scheduled Card Payment Fees Incidental Fees

Monthly $ Application\Setup $

Annual $ Early Termination $

Statement $ Account Closure $

Online Reporting $ Address Verification Service $

Monthly Minimum $ Voice Auuthorization $

Terminal/Equipment $ Retrieval Request $

POS Software $ Chargeback $

Payment Gateway $ Batch $

RP026-19 Page 17

PRICING YEAR 4 (January 1, 2030 – December 31, 2030)

Using the volume and transaction data provided, calculate total annual fees. Include the percentage and dollar value used in calculating fees. Include any ancillary monthly fees required for normal maintenance of account

Discover $362,997.86 4,438 $81.79

Interlink $41,293.43 180 $229.41

Mastercard $8,163,136.29 44,899 $181.81

NYCE POS Debit $299.00 2 $149.50

Pulse Regional POS Debit $12,472.00 46 $271.13

Visa $13,011,215.26 114,430 $113.70

SERVICE PROVIDER NAME____________________________________________________________________________________________

Interchange-Plus Processor's Rate Markup %

Subscription Authorization Fee Per Item $

Tiered

Flat-Rate

Scheduled Card Payment Fees Incidental Fees

Monthly $ Application\Setup $

Annual $ Early Termination $

Statement $ Account Closure $

Online Reporting $ Address Verification Service $

Monthly Minimum $ Voice Auuthorization $

Terminal/Equipment $ Retrieval Request $

POS Software $ Chargeback $

Payment Gateway $ Batch $

RP026-19 Page 18

PRICING YEAR 5 (January 1, 2031 – December 31, 2031)

Using the volume and transaction data provided, calculate total annual fees. Include the percentage and dollar value used in calculating fees. Include any ancillary monthly fees required for normal maintenance of account

Discover $362,997.86 4,438 $81.79

Interlink $41,293.43 180 $229.41

Mastercard $8,163,136.29 44,899 $181.81

NYCE POS Debit $299.00 2 $149.50

Pulse Regional POS Debit $12,472.00 46 $271.13

Visa $13,011,215.26 114,430 $113.70

SERVICE PROVIDER NAME____________________________________________________________________________________________

Interchange-Plus Processor's Rate Markup %

Subscription Authorization Fee Per Item $

Tiered

Flat-Rate

Scheduled Card Payment Fees Incidental Fees

Monthly $ Application\Setup $

Annual $ Early Termination $

Statement $ Account Closure $

Online Reporting $ Address Verification Service $

Monthly Minimum $ Voice Auuthorization $

Terminal/Equipment $ Retrieval Request $

POS Software $ Chargeback $

Payment Gateway $ Batch $

RP023-26 Page 19

FAILURE TO RETURN THIS PAGE AS PART OF YOUR PROPOSAL MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF PROPOSAL.

SERVICE PROVIDER INFORMATION

Please include this page as part of the proposal document and NOT with the Fee Proposal

The services to be performed under this Agreement shall commence on January 1, 2027 or upon approval by the Board of Commissioners. The initial term of this Agreement shall be through December 31, 2027. This contract will terminate immediately and absolutely at such time as appropriated and otherwise unobligated funds are no longer available to satisfy the obligations of the County under the contract. In addition, the County has the sole right to terminate this contract absolutely and without further obligation on its part at the close of the calendar year in which it was executed and at the close of each succeeding calendar year for which it may be renewed. The contract shall automatically renew unless positive action is taken by the County to terminate the contract for a total lifetime Agreement term of five (5) years, upon the same terms and conditions.

The services to be provided under this Agreement shall commence on January 1, 2027, or upon final execution of the contract document. The initial term of this Agreement shall be through December 31, 2027. This Agreement shall terminate absolutely and without further obligation on the part of the County at the close of the calendar year of execution and at the close of each succeeding calendar year of renewal, if renewed. This Agreement shall be automatically renewed upon the same terms and conditions unless the County terminates the Agreement on the day of the close of the calendar year in which it was executed or within sixty (60) days after the day of the close of the calendar year of execution or of each succeeding calendar year for which it may be renewed, for a total lifetime obligation of five (5) years. If applicable, title to any supplies, materials, equipment or other personal property shall remain in the service provider until fully paid for by the County. In addition, this Agreement will terminate immediately and absolutely when appropriated and otherwise unobligated funds are no longer available to satisfy the obligations of the County under the Agreement. Any obligation of the County hereunder is only for such sums payable during the calendar year of execution or each calendar year of renewal, if renewed.

Certification Of Non-Collusion in Bid Preparation Signature Date

Service Provider has examined the proposal package, and following addenda:

No. Dated No. Dated

No. Dated No. Dated

In compliance with the attached specifications, the undersigned offers and agrees, if this quote is accepted by the Board of Commissioners within one hundred twenty (120) days of the date of quote opening, to furnish any or all of the items upon which prices are quoted, at the price set opposite each item, delivered to the designated point(s) within the time specified in the quote schedule. By submission of this proposal, I understand that Gwinnett County uses Electronic Payments for remittance of goods and services. Service providers should select their preferred method of electronic payment upon notice of award. For more information on electronic payments, please refer to the Electronic Payment information in the instructions to vendors.

Legal Business Name

Address

Does your company currently have a location within Gwinnett County? Yes No

Representative Signature Printed Name

Telephone Number E-mail address http://www.gwinnettcounty.com/portal/gwinnett/Departments/FinancialServices/Treasury/

RP023-26 Page 20

FAILURE TO RETURN THIS PAGE AS PART OF YOUR PROPOSAL MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF PROPOSAL.

REFERENCES

Service Provider shall include at least three (3) references for public sector clients similar in both size and scope as that of Gwinnett County. If public sector clients are not serviced, corporate clients that are similar in size and scope of service may be utilized.

1. Name of Entity

Size of Entity

Total Sales $ Total Volume

Number of Merchants Length of Time

Contact Person Telephone

E-Mail Address

2. Name of Entity

3. Name of Entity

SERVICE PROVIDER NAME___________________________________________________________________________________________

RP023-26 Page 21

GWINNETT COUNTY

FINANCIAL SERVICES │ RISK MANAGEMENT

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS

(FOR…