The City of Santa Fe (City), Central Purchasing Division (CPD)

AND

Public Utilities Admin

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP)

RFP#: FY27-TRFP-011 - Utility Payment Ecosystem, Notification, Customer Communication, and Enterprise Integration Services

Table Of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION

2. CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE PROCUREMENT

3. RESPONSE FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION

4. SCOPE OF WORK

5. EVALUATION

6. EVALUATION PHASES

7. COST PROPOSAL

8. VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE

9. ATTACHMENTS

Attachments:

A - Draft Contract RFP-FY27-TRFP-011

I. INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE OF THIS RFP

The City of Santa Fe (“City”) is seeking proposals from qualified firms to provide a secure, scalable, integrated utility payment ecosystem supporting utility billing operations, customer payment services, customer communications, treasury operations, financial reconciliation, and enterprise system integration.

The City intends to procure a synchronized utility payment environment that supports operational coordination between customer payment channels, customer communication platforms, banking institutions, cashiering operations, utility billing systems, and financial management systems.

The selected contractor shall provide all labor, software, hosting, implementation services, integration support, configuration, testing support, training, production deployment assistance, documentation, and ongoing operational support necessary to deliver a fully integrated and operational solution.

The City seeks a solution that improves customer accessibility while maintaining strong operational controls, reconciliation capability, auditability, payment lifecycle visibility, and synchronization across all integrated systems.

Following implementation of the selected Offeror’s billing software solution, the City intends to evaluate and expand the use of the solution, as appropriate, across other City departments and operations where payment processing, transaction management, or related services are required. The selected solution should therefore be scalable and adaptable to support future Citywide implementation and integration needs.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The City currently operates a municipal utility environment involving utility billing, customer service, collections, cashiering, treasury, and financial operations across multiple enterprise systems and customer interaction channels.

The City’s operational environment includes, or is anticipated to include, integration with:

• Tyler Munis Cashiering

• Tyler Munis Financials / General Ledger

• Advanced Utility Systems (AUS) / Advanced Billing

• Cloud-based customer contact center solutions including Genesys Cloud, Zoom Contact Center, and Five9

• Banking and treasury operations involving Wells Fargo

• OpenGov

The City requires a coordinated solution capable of synchronizing payment activity, customer account information, notifications, settlement activity, financial posting, and customer service workflows across multiple operational systems and departments.

SCOPE OF PROCUREMENT

The resulting contract will result in a contract for ten years.

PROCUREMENT MANAGER

Public Utilities Admin has assigned a Procurement Manager who is responsible for the conduct of this procurement whose name, address, telephone number, and email address are listed below:

Name Victoria De Oreo, Project Administrator

Telephone Number (505) 955-4362

Email vjdeoreo@santafenm.gov

1. Any inquiries or requests regarding this procurement should be submitted via the OpenGov

Procurement Portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santafenm/projects/297233.

DEFINITION OF TERMINOLOGY

This section contains definitions of terms used throughout this procurement document, including appropriate abbreviations:

A. "Addendum" means a written or electronic document issued by the City to modify, clarify, or supplement the information in the original RFP prior to the proposal due date. This may also be called

Amendment or RFP Amendment.

B. “Amended Proposal” means a revised and complete version of a proposal submitted by an Offeror prior to the proposal due date, clearly labeled as superseding the original submission.

C. “Authorized Purchaser” means an individual authorized by a Participating Entity to place orders against this contract.

D. “Award” means the point at which the contract document has been fully executed. See also “Contract” and “Final Award".

E. “Best and Final Offer” or “BAFO” means a final revised proposal submitted by an Offeror, upon request by the City, to provide updated pricing or other proposal elements.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santafenm/projects/297233

F. “Blind Evaluation” means an anonymized evaluation process in which identifying information is removed from proposals to ensure objective scoring by the Evaluation Committee.

G. “Business Hours” means the normal business hours of the Requesting department; 8:00 AM through

5:00 PM Mountain Standard or Daylight Time, whichever is in effect on the date given.

H. “Central Purchasing Division” or “CPD” means the City office responsible for overseeing and managing the procurement of tangible personal property, services, and construction, including ensuring compliance with applicable procurement laws, policies, and procedures.

I. “Chief Procurement Officer” or “CPO” means that person within the CPD who is responsible for the control of procurement of items of tangible personal property, services, or construction.

J. “City” means the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico which in the procurement context may act through the

Finance Director, City Manager, or Governing Body.

K. “Clarification Phase” means the structured period during which the potential best-value Offeror(s) and the City align expectations, mitigate risk, and finalize project understanding prior to contract execution.

L. “Close of Business” means the normal close of business of the Requesting Department; 5:00 PM

Mountain Time.

M. “Confidential” means confidential financial information concerning Offeror’s organization and data that qualifies as a trade secret in accordance with the Uniform Trade Secrets Act NMSA 1978, Sections

57-3-A-1 through 57-3A-7. The following items may not be labelled as confidential: Offeror’s submitted

Cost response, Staff/Personnel Resumes/Bios (excluding personal information such as personal telephone numbers and/or home addresses), and other submitted data that is not confidential financial information or that qualifies under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

N. “Contract” means any agreement or Price Agreement for the procurement of items of tangible personal property, services, or construction.

O. “Contractor” means any business having a contract with the City of Santa Fe.

P. “Department” means the Requesting Department sponsoring this Procurement.

Q. “Determination” means the written documentation of a decision of a procurement officer including findings of fact required to support a decision. A determination becomes part of the procurement file to which it pertains.

R. “Desirable” the terms “may,” “can,” “should,” “preferably,” or “prefers,” identify a desirable or discretionary item or factor.

S. “Electronic Submission” means a successful submittal of Offeror’s proposal consisting of text, images or both readable on computers or other electronic devices.

T. “Evaluation Committee” means a body appointed to perform the evaluation of Offerors’ proposals.

U. “Evaluation Committee Report” means a report prepared by the Procurement Manager and the

Evaluation Committee to support the Committee’s recommendation for contract award. It will contain scores and written evaluations of all responsive Offeror proposals.

V. “Final Award” means the point at which the contract(s) resulting from this RFP have been fully executed through the final required signature—either by the City Manager or City Mayor, depending on the contract amount—thereby making the contract(s) legally binding. See also “Contract.”

W. “Finalist” means an Offeror who meets all the mandatory specifications of this RFP and whose score on evaluation factors is sufficiently high to merit further consideration by the Evaluation Committee.

X. “Hourly Rate” means the proposed fully loaded maximum hourly rates that include travel, per diem, fringe benefits and any overhead costs for contractor personnel, as well as subcontractor personnel if appropriate.

Y. “IT” means Information Technology.

Z. “Key Personnel Lead” means the primary individual identified by the Offeror to lead project execution, participate in the interview, and act as the main point of contact throughout the contract term.

AA. “Living Wage” means the minimum hourly wage established by the City of Santa Fe’s Living

Wage Ordinance, which contractors must comply with, as posted at https://santafenm.gov/economic-development/business-resources/living-wage-information.

BB. “Mandatory” the terms “must,” “shall,” “will,” “is required,” or “are required,” identify a mandatory item or factor. Failure to meet a mandatory item or factor may result in the rejection of the

Offeror’s proposal.

CC. “Minor Irregularities” means anything in the proposal that does not affect the price, quality and/or quantity, or any other mandatory requirement.

DD. “Offeror” means any person, corporation, or partnership who chooses to submit a proposal.

EE. “OpenGov” means the City of Santa Fe’s official electronic procurement platform used to post solicitations, receive vendor proposals, facilitate communication with Offerors, and manage procurement activities in a transparent, streamlined, and auditable manner.

FF. "Payment Ecosystem" means the integrated environment through which customer payments are initiated, accepted, authorized, processed, settled posted, reconciled, and reported. The ecosystem includes customer payment channels, payment processing and gateway services, cashiering functions, banking and treasury services, utility billing, financial systems, contact center functionality, customer communications, security and compliance controls, and the interfaces or APIs that allow these components to exchange information.

GG. “Procurement Manager” or “PM” means any person authorized by both the CPD and the

Requesting Department to facilitate the procurement process and/or administer the resulting contract(s).

The Procurement Manager is responsible for managing all aspects of the procurement, including planning and coordinating all related events; ensuring that all required information is provided to https://santafenm.gov/economic-development/business-resources/living-wage-information https://santafenm.gov/economic-development/business-resources/living-wage-information potential offerors, the Evaluation Committee, and CPD; and preparing and processing the Evaluation

Committee Report. The Procurement Manager ensures compliance with all applicable requirements and serves as the primary point of contact throughout the procurement lifecycle. The Procurement Manager is the sole point of contact for all communication related to the procurement. Potential offerors, City staff, and CPD must direct all questions or information through the PM. Staff in the Requesting

Department must rely on the PM to serve as the liaison between their department and CPD to maintain consistency, transparency, and compliance. When questions, challenges, or issues arise during the procurement process, the Procurement Manager should consult with CPD for guidance. CPD is available to support and facilitate the RFP process and to assist the Procurement Manager in ensuring a smooth, fair, and compliant procurement.

HH. “Project” means a temporary process undertaken to solve a well-defined goal or objective with clearly defined start and end times, a set of clearly defined tasks, and a budget. The project terminates once the project scope is achieved, and project acceptance is given by the project executive sponsor.

II. “Protest” means a formal, written objection to a solicitation or contract award, submitted in accordance with NMSA 1978, Section 13-1-172 and Procurement Manual, to the Protest Manager identified in this

RFP.

JJ. “Request for Proposals” or “RFP” means all documents, including those attached or incorporated by reference, used for soliciting proposals.

KK. “Requesting Department” means the City Department responsible for overseeing the work or delivery of tangible personal property by a contractor.

LL. “Responsible Offeror” means an Offeror who submits a responsive proposal and who, when required, provides information and documentation demonstrating that their financial resources, production or service facilities, personnel, reputation, and experience are sufficient to ensure satisfactory delivery of the services or tangible personal property described in the proposal.

MM. “Responsive Offer” means an Offeror whose proposal conforms in all material respects to the requirements set forth in the RFP. Material aspects of the RFP include, but are not limited to, price, quality, quantity, delivery requirements, and compliance with all mandatory specifications, terms, and conditions necessary for fair and complete evaluation.

NN. “Sealed” means, in terms of electronic submission, an Offeror’s proposal and all accompanying documents have been completely and successfully uploaded into the City’s designated procurement platform—such as OpenGov—prior to the submission deadline stated in this RFP.

OO. “Staff” refers to any individual employed by an Offeror, whether on a full-time, part-time, or independent contractor basis.

PP. "Subcontractor” means any person or business entity, other than an employee of the Contractor, that performs part of the work or provides goods or services under the contract resulting from this RFP.

QQ. “Written” means typewritten on standard 8 ½ x 11-inch paper. Larger paper is permissible for charts, spreadsheets, etc.

PROCUREMENT LIBRARY

A procurement library has been established. Offerors are encouraged to review the material contained in the

Procurement Library by viewing the attachment section of the solicitation. The library contains information listed below:

Electronic version of RFP, Questions & Answers, RFP Amendments, etc.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santafenm/projects/297233

II. CONDITIONS GOVERNING THE PROCUREMENT

This section of the RFP contains the schedule of events, the descriptions of each event, and the conditions governing this procurement.

TIMELINE

The CPD and the Procurement Manager will make every effort to adhere to the following schedule:

Issue RFP: September 29, 2026

Pre-Proposal Meeting (Non-Mandatory): October 9, 2026, 10:00am

Teams meeting-https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/27018621

8559414?p=U0IwsXA4XuZfgGqfy1

Deadline for Written Questions: October 15, 2026, 5:00pm

Response to Written Questions: October 20, 2026, 5:00pm

Proposals Due Date: November 2, 2026, 3:00pm

Evaluation*: November 9, 2026, 8:00am

Selection of Finalists*: November 23, 2026

Interview and Demonstration: November 23, 2026

Identification of Potential Best-Valued

Offeror(s)*:

November 30, 2026

Finalize Contracts : December 7, 2026

Contract Awards: December 21, 2026 https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santafenm/projects/297233 https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/270186218559414?p=U0IwsXA4XuZfgGqfy1 https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/270186218559414?p=U0IwsXA4XuZfgGqfy1

Protest Deadline: January 11, 2027

*Dates indicated after "Proposals Due Date" are estimates only and may be subject to change without necessitating an amendment to the RFP.

EXPLANATION OF EVENTS

The following paragraphs describe the activities listed in the timeline

The City reserves the right to:

A. Change or extend the Proposals Due Date.

B. Revise the RFP document prior to the due date.

The City will process addenda if it is determined that modifications, clarifications, or additions to the RFP are necessary. Addenda will be announced via email to registered Potential Offerors that have selected the corresponding commodity code used for this event.

A. Issue RFP

This RFP is being issued on behalf of the City on the date indicated in the timeline.

B. Pre-Proposal Meeting

A Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held as indicated in the Timeline, beginning at 10:00 am MST/MDT via

Teams meeting- https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/270186218559414?p=U0IwsXA4XuZfgGqfy1

Potential Offeror(s) are encouraged to submit written questions in advance of the conference to the CPD and the Procurement Manager via the OpenGov Procurement Portal. The identity of the organization submitting the questions will not be revealed. Additional written questions may be submitted at the Meeting. All questions answered during the Pre-Proposal Meeting will be considered unofficial until they are posed in writing. All written questions will be addressed in writing on the date listed in the Timeline. A public log will be kept of the names of potential Offeror(s) that attended the

Pre-Proposal Meeting.

Attendance at this meeting is highly recommended, but not a prerequisite for submission of a proposal.

C. Deadline for Written Questions

Potential Offerors may submit written questions to CPD and the Procurement Manager as to the intent or clarity of this RFP as indicated in Section the Timeline. All written questions must be submitted via the

OpenGov Procurement Portal. Questions shall be clearly labeled and shall cite the Section(s) in the RFP or other document which form the basis of the question.

D. Responses to Written Questions

Responses to the written questions will be provided on OpenGov, on or before the date indicated in the

Timeline.

E. Proposals Due Date

Only electronic proposal submission is allowed.

ALL PROPOSALS MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW AND EVALUATION BY THE CPD

AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE VIA UPLOAD.

Pursuant to NMSA 1978, Section 13-1-116, the contents of proposals shall not be disclosed to competing Offerors during the negotiation process. The negotiation process is deemed to be in effect until the contract is awarded pursuant to this RFP. Awarded in this context means approved by the City

Manager or Mayor.

F. Evaluation

G. An Evaluation Committee will perform the evaluation of proposals. This process will take place as indicated in the timeline, depending upon the number of proposals received. During this time, CPD or/and the Procurement Manager may initiate discussions with Offerors who submit responsive or potentially responsive proposals for the purpose of clarifying aspects of the proposals. However, proposals may be accepted and evaluated without such discussion. Discussions SHALL NOT be initiated by the Offerors.

H. Selection of Finalists

The Evaluation Committee will select, and the Procurement Manager will notify the finalist Offerors as per the timeline or as soon as possible thereafter. A schedule for Oral Presentation, if any, will be determined at this time. Top five (5) scorers will be asked to provided an interview and demo.

I. Interview and Demonstrations

Finalist Offerors may be required to conduct an oral presentation at a venue to be determined as per the timeline or as soon as possible thereafter. If oral presentations are held, Finalist Offerors may be required to make their presentations through electronic means (GoToMeeting, Zoom, etc.). The

Department will provide Finalist Offerors with applicable details. Whether or not Oral Presentations will be held is at the discretion of the Evaluation Committee and CPD.

J. Best and Final Offers

This RFP process will allow for Best and Final Offers (BAFO) from finalist Offerors. Specifically, Offerors should provide their strongest possible pricing in initial proposals, as we expect competitive submissions upfront. However, we reserve the right to re-open negotiation by requesting BAFO under the schedule outlined in the timeline or on an accelerated timeline from finalists. The purpose would be to elicit revised pricing or other updated proposal elements that facilitate selection of the optimal offer.

Finalist Offerors may also amend or clarify their proposal during this stage.

K. Finalize Contracts

After approval of the Evaluation Committee Report, any contractual agreement(s) resulting from this

RFP will be finalized with the most advantageous Offeror(s), taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in this RFP, as per Section the Timeline or as soon as possible thereafter. The most advantageous proposal may or may not have received the most points. In the event mutually agreeable terms cannot be reached with the apparent most advantageous Offeror in the timeframe specified, the

City of Santa Fe reserves the right to finalize a contractual agreement with the next most advantageous

Offeror(s) without undertaking a new procurement process.

L. Contract Awards

Upon receipt of the signed contract, the Department will award pursuant to, or as soon as the Timeline possible thereafter. The award is subject to appropriate Department and City Manager/Governing Body approval. Contractors must not commence work until the Department issues them a Purchase Order

(PO) and instructions to start.

M. Protest Deadline

Any protest by an Offeror pertaining to the solicitation or award must be submitted within 15 days from the notice of solicitation or award and in conformance with NMSA 1978, Section 13-1-172 and applicable procurement regulations. As a Protest Manager has been named in this RFP, pursuant to

NMSA 1978, Section 13-1-172 and Procurement Manual Section Y, ONLY protests delivered directly to the Protest Manager in writing and in a timely fashion will be considered to have been submitted properly and in accordance with statute, rule, and this RFP. The 15-calendar day protest period shall begin on the day following the notice of award of contract(s) and will end at 5:00 pm MST/MDT on the

15th day. Protests must be written and must include the name and address of the protestor and the RFP number. The protest must include a detailed statement of the grounds for the protest, along with any relevant supporting documentation. It should also clearly state the specific ruling being requested from the party listed below. The protest must be delivered to:

Travis Dutton-Leyda, CPO

City of Santa Fe purchasing@santafenm.gov

PROTESTS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

General Requirements

A. Acceptance of Conditions Governing the Procurement

By submitting a proposal in response to this RFP, Offerors acknowledge and agree to all Conditions

Governing the Procurement, as outlined herein.

B. Incurring Cost

All costs incurred by an Offeror in the preparation, submission, transmittal, or presentation of a proposal—including any related materials—are the sole responsibility of the Offeror. Additionally, any costs associated with the setup, demonstration, or evaluation of proposed equipment, products, or systems shall be borne entirely by the Offeror.

C. Prime Contractor Responsibility

By receiving a contract resulting from this RFP, each awarded Contractor is solely responsible for fulfilling all contractual requirements with the City. The City will make payments only to the

Contractor(s) named in the executed agreement(s) and will not be responsible for any payments to subcontractors, third parties, or for any ancillary costs such as taxes, permits, or fees.

D. Subcontractors/Consent

The use of subcontractors is allowed. The prime contractor shall be wholly responsible for the entire performance of the contract whether subcontractors are used. Additionally, the prime contractor must receive approval, in writing, from the City before any subcontractor is used during the term of the resultant contract.

E. Amended Proposals

Offerors may submit amended proposals at any time prior to the Proposal Due Date. Each amended submission must serve as a complete replacement of the original proposal. Amendments may be submitted in response to changes issued by the City or to reflect revisions made independently by the

Offeror. To ensure clarity during evaluation, all amended proposals must be clearly labeled as such and must explicitly state that they supersede any previously submitted versions. The City will evaluate only the most recent, complete version submitted prior to the deadline. City staff will not merge, collate, or otherwise combine materials from multiple submissions.

F. Proposal Withdrawal

Offerors may withdraw their proposals at any time prior to the Proposal Due Date. A written request to withdraw must be submitted via email, addressed to the CPD and the Procurement Manager, and signed by a duly authorized representative of the Offeror. Withdrawal requests received after the Proposal Due

Date will be subject to applicable procurement regulations and are not guaranteed to be accepted.

G. Proposal Offer Firm

Responses to this RFP, including proposal prices for services, will be considered firm for one-hundred eighty (180) days after the due date for receipt of proposals or one-hundred eighty (180) days after the due date for the receipt of a best and final offer, if the Offeror is invited or required to submit one.

H. Disclosure of Proposal Contents

The contents of all submitted proposals will be kept confidential until the final award has been completed by the City. At that time, all proposals and documents pertaining to the proposals will be available for public inspection, except for proprietary or confidential material as follows:

1. Proprietary and Confidential information is restricted to:

a. confidential financial information concerning the Offeror’s organization; and

b. information that qualifies as a trade secret in accordance with the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, NMSA 1978, Sections 57-3A-1 through 57-3A-7.

2. An additional but separate redacted version of Offeror’s proposal shall be submitted containing the blacked-out proprietary or confidential information, to facilitate eventual public inspection of the non-confidential version of Offeror’s proposal.

IMPORTANT: The price of products offered, or the cost of services proposed SHALL NOT be designated as proprietary or confidential information.

If a request is received for disclosure of proprietary or confidential materials, the City Attorney and the CPO shall examine the request and make a written determination that specifies which portions of the proposal should be disclosed. Unless the Offeror takes legal action to prevent the disclosure, the proposal will be so disclosed. The proposal shall be open to public inspection subject to any continuing prohibition on the disclosure of proprietary or confidential information.

I. No Obligation

This RFP in no manner obligates the City to the use of any Offeror’s services until a valid written contract is awarded and approved by appropriate authorities.

J. Termination

This RFP may be canceled at any time and all proposals may be rejected in whole or in part when the

City determines such action to be in the best interest of the City of Santa Fe.

K. Sufficient Appropriation

Any contract awarded because of this RFP process may be terminated if sufficient appropriations or authorizations do not exist. Such terminations will be affected by sending written notice to the contractor. The City’s decision as to whether sufficient appropriations and authorizations are available will be accepted by the contractor as final.

L. Legal Review

The City requires that all Offerors agree to be bound by the General Requirements contained in this

RFP. Any Offeror’s concerns must be promptly submitted in writing to the attention of the CPD and the

Procurement Manager.

M. Governing Law

This RFP and any agreement with an Offeror which may result from this procurement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New Mexico.

N. Basis for Proposal

Only information supplied in writing by the CPD and the Procurement Manager or contained in this RFP shall be used as the basis for the preparation of Offeror proposals.

O. Contract Terms and Conditions

The contract between the City and a contractor will follow the format specified by the City and contain the terms and conditions set forth in the Draft Contract. However, the City reserves the right to negotiate provisions in addition to those contained in this RFP Draft Contract with any Offeror. The contents of this RFP, as revised and/or supplemented, and the successful Offeror’s proposal will be incorporated into and become part of any resultant contract.

The City discourages exceptions from the contract terms and conditions as set forth in the Draft

Contract. Such exceptions may cause a proposal to be rejected as nonresponsive when, in the sole judgment of the City (and its evaluation team), the proposal appears to be conditioned on the exception, or correction of what is deemed to be a deficiency, or an unacceptable exception is proposed which would require a substantial proposal rewrite to correct.

Should an Offeror object to any of the terms and conditions as set forth in the RFP Draft Contract strongly enough to propose alternate terms and conditions despite the above, the Offeror must propose specific alternative language. The City may or may not accept the alternative language. General references to the Offeror’s terms and conditions or attempts at complete substitutions of the Draft

Contract are not acceptable to the City and will result in disqualification of the Offeror’s proposal.

Offerors must provide a brief discussion of the purpose and impact, if any, of each proposed change followed by the specific proposed alternate wording.

If an Offeror fails to propose any alternate terms and conditions during the procurement process (the

RFP process prior to selection as successful Offeror), no proposed alternate terms and conditions will be considered later during the negotiation process. Failure to propose alternate terms and conditions during the procurement process (the RFP process prior to selection as successful Offeror) is an explicit agreement by the Offeror that the contractual terms and conditions contained herein are accepted by the

Offeror.

P. Offeror’s Terms and Conditions

Offerors must include with their proposal and/or during clarification phase a complete list of any additional/modified terms and conditions they wish to have considered for inclusion in the final contract.

Offerors must clearly identify the specific section(s) of the City’s draft contract they propose to modify and provide the exact language they wish to substitute or add. Failure to submit proposed terms at the time of proposal submission may result in the City deeming those terms waived during contract negotiations.

Q. Contract Deviations

Any additional terms and conditions, which may be the subject of negotiation (such terms and conditions having been proposed during the procurement process, that is, the RFP process prior to selection as successful Offeror), will be discussed only between the City and the Offeror selected and shall not be deemed an opportunity to amend the Offeror’s proposal.

R. Offeror Qualifications

The Evaluation Committee may make such investigations as necessary to determine the ability of the potential Offeror to adhere to the requirements specified within this RFP. The Evaluation Committee will reject the proposal of any potential Offeror who is not a Responsible Offeror or fails to submit a

Responsive Offer as defined in NMSA 1978, Sections 13-1-83 and 13-1-85.

S. Right to Waive Minor Irregularities

The Evaluation Committee, upon approval from the CPO, reserves the right to waive minor irregularities. The Evaluation Committee also reserves the right to waive mandatory requirements, if all of the otherwise responsive proposals failed to meet the same mandatory requirements and the failure to do so does not otherwise materially affect the procurement. This right is at the sole discretion of the

Evaluation Committee and CPO.

T. Change in Contractor Representatives

The City reserves the right to require a change in the contractor’s assigned representative if, in the City’s judgment, the individual is not adequately meeting the City’s needs. If multiple representatives are assigned, the City may require changes to any or all of them as deemed necessary.

U. Notice of Penalties

NMSA 1978, Sections 13-1-28 through 13-1-199, imposes civil, and misdemeanor and felony criminal penalties for its violation. In addition, the New Mexico criminal statutes impose felony penalties for bribes, gratuities, and kickbacks.

V. City’s Rights

The City, in agreement with the Evaluation Committee reserves the right to accept all or a portion of a potential Offeror's proposal.

W. Right to Publish

Throughout the duration of this procurement process and contract term, Offerors and contractors must secure from the City written approval prior to the release of any information that pertains to the potential work or activities covered by this procurement and/or City contracts deriving from this procurement.

Failure to adhere to this requirement may result in disqualification of the Offeror’s proposal or removal from the contract.

X. Ownership of Proposals

All documents submitted in response to the RFP shall become property of the City. If the RFP is cancelled, the electronic record shall be closed, and all proposals shall remain confidential.

Y. Confidentiality

Any confidential information provided to, or developed by, the contractor in the performance of the contract resulting from this RFP shall be kept confidential and shall not be made available to any individual or organization by the contractor without the prior written approval of the City.

The Contractor(s) agrees to protect the confidentiality of all confidential information and not to publish or disclose such information to any third party without the City’s written permission.

Z. Electronic Mail Address Required

A large part of the communication regarding this procurement will be conducted by electronic mail

(email). Offeror must be registered and have a valid email address to receive correspondences.

AA. Use of Electronic Versions of This RFP

This RFP is being made available by electronic means. In the event of conflict between a version of the

RFP in the Offeror’s possession and the version maintained by the CPD, the Offeror acknowledges that the version maintained by the CPD shall govern. Please refer to:https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santafenm/projects/297233

BB. Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form

Offeror must complete, sign, and return the Campaign Contribution Disclosure Form, as a part of their proposal. This requirement applies regardless of whether a covered contribution was made or not made for the positions of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, City Officials or other identified official. Failure to complete and return the signed, unaltered form will result in Offeror’s disqualification.

CC. Disclosure Regarding Responsibility

1. Any prospective Contractor and any of its Principals who enter a contract greater than sixty thousand dollars ($60,000.00) with any state agency or local public body for professional services, tangible personal property, services or construction agrees to disclose whether the Contractor, or any principal of the Contractor’s company:

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/santafenm/projects/297233

a. is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, or declared ineligible for award of contract by any federal entity, state agency or local public body;

b. has within a three-year period preceding this offer, been convicted in a criminal matter or had a civil judgment rendered against them for:

i. the commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (federal, state or local) contract or subcontract;

ii. violation of Federal or state antitrust statutes related to the submission of offers; or

iii. the commission in any federal or state jurisdiction of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, tax evasion, violation of

Federal criminal tax law, or receiving stolen property;

c. is presently indicted for, or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by any (federal state or local) government entity with the commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph A of this disclosure;

d. has, preceding this offer, been notified of any delinquent Federal or state taxes in an amount that exceeds $3,000.00 of which the liability remains unsatisfied. Taxes are considered delinquent if the following criteria apply.

i. The tax liability is finally determined. The liability is finally determined if it has been assessed. A liability is not finally determined if there is a pending administrative or judicial challenge. In the case of a judicial challenge of the liability, the liability is not finally determined until all judicial appeal rights have been exhausted.

ii. The taxpayer is delinquent in making payment. A taxpayer is delinquent if the taxpayer has failed to pay the tax liability when full payment was due and required. A taxpayer is not delinquent in cases where enforced collection action is precluded.

iii. Have within a three-year period preceding this offer, had one or more contracts terminated for default by any federal or state agency or local public body.)

2. Principal, for the purpose of this disclosure, means an officer, director, owner, partner, or a person having primary management or supervisory responsibilities within a business entity or related entities.

3. Following award, the Contractor shall promptly provide written notice to the individuals listed in the contract’s Notice section if, at any time during the term of the contract, the Contractor becomes aware that any part of its prior disclosure was inaccurate or has become inaccurate due to changed circumstances.

4. Disclosure of any relevant circumstances under this requirement will not automatically result in termination of the contract. However, such disclosures will be considered when evaluating the

Contractor’s responsibility and capacity to perform under the contract. Failure to provide a required disclosure, or to submit additional information upon request, may result in a determination that the

Offeror is nonresponsive

5. Nothing contained in the foregoing shall be construed to require establishment of a system of records to render, in good faith, the disclosure required by this document. The knowledge and information of a Contractor is not required to exceed that which is the normally possessed by a prudent person in the ordinary course of business dealings.

6. The disclosure requirement provided is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when making an award and is a continuing material representation of the facts during the term of this Agreement. If during the performance of the contract, the Contractor is indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by any government entity (federal, state, or local) with commission of any offenses named in this document the Contractor must provide immediate written notice to the CPO or other party to this Agreement. If it is later determined that the Contractor knowingly rendered an erroneous disclosure, in addition to other remedies available to the

Government, the CPO may terminate the involved contract for cause. Still further the CPO may suspend or debar the Contractor from eligibility for future solicitations until such time as the matter is resolved to the satisfaction of the CPO

DD. Local Preferences

The City recognizes the value of revenue derived from local businesses and shall procure goods and/or services locally, when possible, pursuant to Ordinance and the City of Santa Fe Procurement Manual.

The city’s preferences will be applied except for purchases using state funds, federal funds, and grant funds. Applicable City, state, and federal law and regulations govern procurements using City, state, or federal funds. The state’s preference will be used on Public Works Projects.

III. RESPONSE FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION

NUMBER OF RESPONSES

Offerors shall complete and submit only one response to this RFP through OpenGov in the Vendor

Questionnaire where indicated.

Confidential Information: If proposals contain confidential information, as defined in the Definition of

Terminology, Offerors must submit two (2) separate ELECTRONIC technical files. Name the files accordingly:

• One (1) ELECTRONIC version of the requisite proposals identified above as Confidential (unredacted) versions for evaluation purposes (example file name, FY26-TRFP-072 - Acme Corp – Confidential

Technical). Unredacted versions must be clearly marked as “UNREDACTED” or

"CONFIDENTIAL" on the first page of the electronic file; and

• One (1) redacted ELECTRONIC, for the public file, to facilitate eventual public inspection of the non-confidential version of Offerors' proposals. Redacted versions must be clearly marked as

“REDACTED” on the first page of the electronic file. (Example file name, FY26-TRFP-072 - Acme

Corp – Redacted Technical). OpenGov allows multiple file uploads.

• For the AI Related Questions and Additional Vendor Response Requirements in the Vendor

Questionnaire, the offeror should explain (written narrative) as well as demonstrate (provide examples of current clients/implementations that are comparable to the City of Santa Fe) how they are able to meet each requirement.

IV. SCOPE OF WORK

Utility Payment Ecosystem, Presentment, Notification, Customer Communication, and

Enterprise Integration Services Scope of Work

A. Core Payment Services

• Provide electronic utility payment services

• Support customer-facing payment channels including web, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), mobile, agent-assisted payments, auto pay functionality, and POS (Point of Sale)/kiosk functionality where applicable

• Support ACH (Automated Clearing House)/e-check, debit card, credit card, digital wallet, and approved payment methods

• Support guest payment and registered account payment functionality

B. Customer Notification and Communication Functions

• Support customer payment confirmations and payment event notifications

• Support configurable customer messaging related to payment activity, disconnect warnings, failed payments, returned payments, payment reminders, and service restoration notifications

• Maintain audit history of customer notifications and communication activity

C. Utility Billing and Enterprise System Integration Requirements

• Support integration with Tyler Munis Cashiering

• Support integration with Tyler Munis Financials / General Ledger

• Support integration with Advanced Utility Systems (AUS) / Advanced Billing

• Support banking and treasury integration

• Support cloud-based customer contact center integration

• Identify all integration methods including APIs (Application Programming Interface), SFTP (Secure File Transfer

Protocol), middleware, webhooks, batch interfaces, and real-time interfaces

• Support secure file transmission and interface monitoring

D. Customer Contact Center Integration Requirements

• Support integration with Genesys Cloud, Zoom Contact Center, Five9, or equivalent platforms

• Support IVR integration, secure payment transfer, account lookup integration, and synchronization of customer interactions

E. Banking and Treasury Integration Requirements

• Support compatibility with Wells Fargo or comparable banking institutions

• Support ACH/e-check processing, settlement balancing, treasury reconciliation, returned payment handling, chargeback handling, and secure banking file transmission

• Identify all third-party processors, gateways, and banking intermediaries

F. Payment Lifecycle and Status Requirements

• Support clearly defined payment lifecycle statuses including:

- Payment Initiated

- Payment Authorized

- Payment Pending Settlement

- Payment Received

- Payment Settled

- Payment Posted

- Payment Returned

- Payment Reversed

- Payment Declined

- Chargeback/Disputed Payment

• Maintain timestamp audit history for all payment status changes

• Ensure customer-facing confirmations accurately reflect payment status

G. Synchronization and Data Governance Requirements

• Support synchronization across payment platforms, billing systems, financial systems, banking systems, and communication systems

• Identify synchronization intervals including real-time, near real-time, batch, and scheduled processing

• The City’s utility billing platform shall remain the authoritative source for customer balances unless otherwise approved by the City

H. Exception Handling and Interface Failure Management

• Monitor failed interfaces, rejected files, duplicate transactions, failed postings, and synchronization failures

• Support automated alerts, retry logic, escalation procedures, and duplicate prevention controls

• Maintain interface audit logs

I. Collections and Utility Operations Coordination

• Support synchronization between payment activity and utility operational workflows including disconnect holds, reconnect eligibility, field collections, returned payment activity, and service restoration

J. Reconciliation and Financial Controls

• Support daily reconciliation between payment activity, settlement activity, cashiering activity, utility billing records, and general ledger postings

• Support balancing procedures, exception management, and audit support capabilities

K. Implementation and Deployment Services

• Provide project planning, implementation management, interface setup, coordinated testing, UAT (User Acceptance

Testing) support, deployment planning, go-live support, training, and operational transition support

L. Business Continuity and Operational Resiliency

• Describe disaster recovery capabilities, outage communication procedures, failover processes, and operational continuity measures

M. Service Fee passed to Customer

• No additional fee for the City

Operational Transaction and Synchronization Profile

The following transaction and operational volume information is intended to assist offerors in understanding the City’s anticipated payment ecosystem environment, transaction profile, integration requirements, synchronization expectations, and operational support needs.

Transaction volumes may fluctuate based on seasonal utility usage, delinquency cycles, disconnect activity, emergency events, customer billing cycles, operational changes, or future system enhancements. The City does not guarantee transaction volumes.

The City reserves the right to expand, reduce, or reallocate transaction activity across payment channels, customer communication channels, or integrated systems during the contract term.

Functional and Technical Requirements

• Support web, IVR, mobile, POS, and assisted payment channels

• Support ACH, debit, credit, digital wallets, and approved payment methods

• Vendors must confirm ability to “connect to Wells Fargo Merchant Services via Fiserv Nashville for processing” 25

• Integrate with Advanced Billing and related systems

• Integrate with Tyler Munis Cashiering and General Ledger

• Support treasury operations and Wells Fargo compatibility

• Support Genesys, Zoom, Five9, or equivalent contact center integration

• Support OpenGov Integration

• Support coordinated synchronization across all integrated systems

• Support configurable customer communication workflows

• Support detailed payment status tracking and auditability

• Support balancing, settlement reconciliation, and exception handling

• Support PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance, role-based security, and audit controls

• Provide operational, treasury, reconciliation, and payment reporting

• Support disaster recovery and operational resiliency

Vendor Qualifications

Offerors shall demonstrate:

• Municipal or utility payment system experience

• Enterprise integration experience

• Treasury and banking integration experience

• Utility billing integration experience

• Contact center integration experience

• Successful implementation references involving comparable environments

The offeror shall provide examples of clients utilizing the proposed solution in conjunction with:

• Tyler Munis Cashering

• Tyler Munis Financials / General Ledger

• Advanced Utility Systems (AUS) / Advanced Billing

• Cloud-based customer contact center solutions including Genesys Cloud, Zoom Contact Center, and Five9

• Banking and treasury operations involving Wells Fargo

• Open Gov

Deliverables

The selected offeror shall provide:

• Project work plan

• Implementation schedule

• Interface documentation

• Integration architecture diagrams

• Testing plans

• UAT support documentation

• Deployment plans

• Training materials

• Reconciliation procedures

• Operational support documentation

• Escalation procedures

• Disaster recovery documentation

• Reporting samples

• Ongoing support procedures

• Knowledge transfer for Tier 1 and Tier 2 support to the City’s IT department

AI-Related Questions

These questions will be listed in the Vendor questionnaire to be answered. Questions located here for informational purposes.

Data Privacy and Usage

Will customer data train or fine-tune public or shared AI models?

Where is data stored and processed?

What measures ensure that sensitive data is separate from other customers' data?

If the contract ends, can the vendor guarantee the deletion of data and any related fine-tuned models?

Model Integrity and Security

How are AI models protected against adversarial attacks, such as data poisoning or prompt injection?

What techniques prevent AI hallucinations or unintended data disclosures?

Is there documentation for the ethically sourced datasets used to train models? How is model drift monitored?

Transparency and Explainability

Can the vendor explain how the AI reached a specific detection or recommendation?

What percentage of tool-generated alerts are false positives?

What type of third-party AI model (APIs, or foundational AI services) does your system use, and is it explainable?

Human Oversight and Control

Can the AI component be disabled or switched to "manual" mode without losing product functionality?

What is the "human-in-the-loop" process for high-confidence actions? How are human operators notified to review an AI-driven decision?

Access and Integration

What permissions does the AI agent require? Does the AI integrate with the existing security stack? Are there audit logs for the AI actions themselves?

Summary Checklist…