Customer Identity Verification and Credit Check Services

Sarasota County, Florida is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP #262835RM) to procure customer identity verification and credit check services for its Public Utilities department. The County seeks a qualified vendor to provide a specialized risk management platform functioning as a utility-specific credit reporting and fraud prevention system. Core deliverables include applicant screening for fraudulent activity, credit report generation, security deposit determination based on risk assessment, bad debt prevention through identification of customers with unpaid utility bill histories, debt recovery and advanced collection services, Red Flags Rule compliance support, and seamless integration with the County's Customer Information System (UMAX) via Application Programming Interface (API) and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). Proposers must demonstrate experience providing utility-specific credit reporting and fraud prevention systems to governmental or municipal utility clients, with preference given to those with UMAX system experience. Pricing must be submitted in itemized format including per transaction or per report pricing, monthly or recurring access fees, and any regulatory recovery or passthrough fees, with monthly invoicing required. The solicitation was posted on March 16, 2026, with proposals due April 10, 2026; short-listed proposers should be prepared to attend presentations and/or interviews either in Sarasota, Florida or virtually at the County's discretion, with presentations required if estimated annual costs exceed $350,000 or for the total project. The anticipated initial contract term is three years, with submissions to be made through the County's OpenGov Procurement portal at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/scgov.

All contractors must comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Drivers Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), and applicable state consumer credit reporting laws, and must maintain comprehensive written information security programs with administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, data encryption in transit and at rest, and secure user authentication with role-based access controls. Insurance requirements include Workers' Compensation in accordance with Florida Statutes Chapter 440 with $500,000 minimum employers liability, Commercial General Liability of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 aggregate, and Professional Liability or Errors & Omissions coverage of $1,000,000 per claim/occurrence. Local and American business preferences do not apply to this award due to grant funding requirements. The vendor notification email dated March 12, 2026 identifies known industry vendors including Privin, Online IS, Socure, Trulioo, and IDmerit as potential proposers, though no incumbent contractor is specified. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the available solicitation documents; however, the County reserves the right to award based on total project costs. There is no fee to participate in Sarasota County solicitations through the OpenGov Procurement platform, and all communications are subject to Florida's public records laws, including the Sunshine Law.