AGR-Budget and Fiscal-Credit Card Services

The State of Illinois Department of Agriculture seeks a qualified financial institution to provide credit card services through an Invitation for Bid solicitation posted January 27, 2026, with a deadline for submission by February 11, 2026. The procurement calls for a single vendor to supply brand-name or equivalent credit cards (Visa or Mastercard) for state expenses requiring immediate payment, with the department maintaining one master account carrying a total annual card limit of $25,000.00. The successful vendor must be a financial institution recognized by the Federal Reserve and listed on the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council website, with federal insurance coverage through FDIC, NCUA, FRB, OCC, or equivalent entities. The vendor must provide an expense control system that prevents cash advances and restricts purchases to authorized categories, establish the account in the department's name with minimal credit approval procedures, furnish electronic access to account expense activities, deliver detailed monthly billing statements by transaction, and maintain dedicated telephone and email support for the Agency Coordinator. Pricing will be evaluated across five fee categories: administrative/setup fees for the master account, per-user account setup fees, annual per-account fees, foreign transaction fees, and lost card replacement fees, with contract award determined by the lowest total combined cost; in case of a tie, the merchant fee will serve as the tiebreaker. The initial contract term is five years from execution, with a maximum total term not to exceed ten years including renewals or extensions, and all costs must be entered with a minimum value of $0.00 for each line item.

All vendors responding to this solicitation must be registered with the Illinois Procurement Gateway (IPG) or submit the appropriate Vendor Disclosure Form 26.2, along with completion of the IPG Active Vendor Disclosure form for contracts exceeding $100,000 in annual value, which applies to this procurement given the potential five-year term. Vendors must comply with extensive state and federal statutory requirements including the Illinois Procurement Code, human rights act compliance, drug-free workplace policies, and prohibitions on forced labor under 30 ILCS 500/25-210, with certifications made under penalty of perjury by authorized company representatives. The procurement is subject to Illinois Business Preference and Domestic Product Preference provisions, and vendors may qualify for set-asides or utilization requirements under the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and Veterans Business Program (VBP) with documented good faith efforts where applicable; a $15 fee is required for contracts valued at $1,000 or more to support the Minority Contractor Opportunity Initiative. No incumbent vendor or current contractor is identified in the solicitation materials, and no subcontractors are permitted under this contract, with the vendor required to maintain general commercial liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 annual aggregate, auto liability insurance of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and workers' compensation insurance as required by law. The vendor must generate revenues primarily through merchant fees at no cost to the State of Illinois, and the contract will be funded through the Illinois Department of Agriculture with payments processed by the Comptroller's office in accordance with the State Prompt Payment Act; while a specific budget allocation is not disclosed, the annual card limit of $25,000.00 establishes the operational scope of this procurement.