Dcss SDU RFI 243

The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) #243 for its State Disbursement Unit (SDU) to gather market research on advanced child support payment processing technologies and services. The RFI seeks comprehensive information about tools and capabilities for managing approximately $2.7 billion in annual child support payments, focusing on seven key areas: payment processing, payment and disbursement integration, customer service, document imaging, data repository, financial data security, and fraud prevention. Vendor eligibility requires either 60 months of experience operating a child support-related State Disbursement Unit or significant experience in collection and disbursement processing in public or private sectors. The procurement timeline includes an RFI release on November 26, 2024, with questions due by December 9, 2024, and vendor responses required by January 3, 2025. Vendor demonstrations are scheduled for February 10-13, 2025, with participants required to complete comprehensive questionnaires detailing their technological capabilities, process improvements, and client references from the past 24 months, preferably from state agencies or large municipalities.

There are no specific set-aside designations or restrictions mentioned for responding organizations. The current SDU contract, initiated in 2019, is set to expire in August 2026 with an optional two-year extension possible through August 2028. The RFI explicitly states that responses will be at no cost to the state, and any cost information provided by vendors is voluntary and non-binding, intended solely for informational budgeting purposes. The current operational environment involves a fully functioning SDU handling all child support and fiscal functions under the Title IV-D Child Support Program, including collection, receipting, processing, banking, reconciliation, and disbursement services. Monthly transaction volumes provide context for the scale of operations, with electronic collections averaging 734,855 transactions and paper collections averaging 111,631 per month in 2023. The call center manages an average of 11,215 monthly inquiries. While no specific budget range is disclosed, the RFI indicates a sophisticated procurement process seeking advanced technological solutions for child support payment management.